The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
Category: Theological e-piphanies
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Sermon at Christ Church Cranbrook ~ July 13, 2014
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Deacon Tim Spannaus at Christ Church Cranbrook ~ July 6, 2014
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
The Reverend Deacon Tim Spannaus, Ph.D., is a Vocational Deacon in The Episcopal Church, assigned by the Bishop to St. John's Church in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has a few weeks to share with Christ Church Cranbrook this summer and will be teaching, preaching, and serving in the liturgy. In today's homily, Deacon Tim describes the life and work of a Deacon.
Listen to Deacon Tim Spannaus ~ July 6 2014
Read the Homily by Deacon Tim Spannaus ~ July 6, 2014
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On Memorial Day
Today we remember those who gave their lives in the service of their country. Their sacrifice contributed to the preservation of our national life and, in many cases, the peace and security of other nations. Whether they enlisted or were compelled to serve does not matter. When human beings failed to resolve conflicts by other means, their lives were set apart and sacrificed in the service of their contemporaries and future generations of Americans. That is why we consider their memories sacred.
We denigrate their sacrifice when we take our liberties for granted or use them in self-serving ways. We cheapen their sacrifice when we tolerate people seeking and holding public office using freedom to propagate misinformation and disrespectful behavior to advance any interest. We disrespect their sacrifice when we allow oppression, marginalization, and persecution of members of our society. Every time a member of the American military dies in the line of duty, the value of those freedoms increases and the more determined our generation must be to find more effective ways to wage peace. The government we elected sent them into harm's way. We ignore their sacrifice when we do not insist that our government provide adequate services for the families they leave behind as well as for their comrades who return from the field and their families. That is costly, but it is part of the cost of making war. Hard-won liberties must be exercised responsibly and protected daily by each one of us. That is costly too, yet it is the price of making peace.
When we even glance at human history, it is pretty clear that warfare is the result of somebody wanting something that is not theirs, somebody else defending what is, and utter failure to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Memorial Day is not a time to glorify warfare. It is a time to mourn those whose lives were cut short by the failure of humanity to fulfill our God-given potential for living in ways that make wars unnecessary. Christians, Jews, and Muslims, in particular, have yet to set an enduring example for peacemaking for the rest of humanity. While we have been given the vocation and the teachings to bring peace and lasting freedom to the rest of the world, we have listened to other voices and followed other precepts.
Central to the message of the Bible is the belief that Almighty God created human beings to live in freedom. Just as central to the message of the Bible are examples of how people acting in the Name of God thought combat was the way God wanted to accomplish the liberation of humanity. Jesus repeatedly confronted whatever interfered with freedom and he paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure that freedom for all people in all times. His own disciples had difficulty understanding that he was instituting a kind of liberty that could not be won by warfare but, if embraced, could make wars to cease forever. St. Paul summed it up for those early Christians in the Roman province of Galatia. He wrote to them in their own unique context, but his words are universally applicable: “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).
The Episcopal Church has for many years given a special service medal to its members who are
deployed in military service. I have personally presented them to members of my parishes and will continue to do so as long as necessary. The Episcopal Church Service Cross was the first cross to be approved by the U.S. for wear by military personnel. Its circular shape prevents injuries from the ends of the arms of the cross during strenuous physical military activity. It weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. Written on the bars of the cross is the inscription, “Christ Died For You.” If I were facing armed combat, that message would comfort me. But there is a sad irony in it, isn’t there? The same Christ who died for me also died for my enemy. The same Christ who died for me died to keep us from having to kill one another. The same Christ who died for me is revered as “The Prince of Peace.”
Peace and freedom for humanity are God’s desire. Christ came to secure the reign of peace and freedom. You and I are called to live our lives in harmony with God’s reign and God’s desire. We have to learn to so effectively wage peace, with God's help, that warfare will become obsolete. "It is God who makes war to cease in all the world; God breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire" (Psalm 46:10). Can we trust God enough to join God in making war to cease?
I submit to you on this Memorial Day that whenever we are faced with opportunities to wage peace instead of war – in our homes, our families, our communities, our nation, or across international boundaries – we stand upon the shoulders of all those who have died in military operations and under the protection of the Savior of the Nations, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again so that all people in all times might live in peace and freedom. So, I commend two prayers from The Book of Common Prayer for your use today as we remember those brave women and men and as we renew our commitment to the One who calls each of us to participate in the divine peacemaking initiative.
For Heroic Service
O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Peace
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I'll see you in Church!
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About the Paschal Candle
At the beginning of the Great Vigil of Easter a "new fire" is ignited and blessed with this prayer:
O God, through your Son you have bestowed upon your people the brightness of your light: Sanctify this new fire, and grant that in this Paschal feast we may so burn with heavenly desires, that with pure minds we may attain to the festival of everlasting light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Paschal candle is the first candle to be lighted from this sacred fire. The flame of the Paschal candle symbolizes the eternal presence of Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Light of the World in the midst of his people, the Light which darkness has never overcome.The Paschal candle is sometimes referred to as the "Easter candle" or the "Christ candle." The term "Paschal" comes from the word Pesach, which in Hebrew means Passover, and relates to the Paschal mystery of salvation. The tall white candle may also remind us of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led the Israelites in their Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
The minister may trace symbols on the Paschal candle.These symbols may include the cross, five grains of incense embedded in five red wax nails,the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, and the number of the current year.
The worshiping assembly then processes into the dark church led by the Paschal candle. The candle is raised three times during the procession, accompanied by the chant "The light of Christ" to which the congregation responds "Thanks be to God". Following the procession, a prayer known as the Exultet is chanted, traditionally by a deacon, but it may be chanted by the priest, a cantor or a choir. The Exultet concludes with a blessing of the candle:
Holy Father, accept our evening sacrifice, the offering of this candle in your honor. May it shine continually to drive away all darkness. May Christ, the Morning Star who knows no setting, find it ever burning–he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
It is customary for the Paschal candle to burn at all services during the Great Fifty Days of Easter as well as at Baptisms and funerals. It reminds us of the presence of the Risen Christ and his call to the Baptized to bear his light in the world. At Christ Church Cranbrook, we also light the candle atop the enormous and ornate marble Paschal Candlestick in the Narthex at the entrance to the Baptistry. It is an exact replica of the Paschal Candlestick in the Capella Palentina, Palermo, Sicily.
During these fifty days and whenever we see the Paschal candle burning, let it remind us of the words of Jesus:
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 15).
Enjoy this hymn from our Hymnal 1982, sung by the Choir of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California. May your Easter life be flooded with light and my you reflect that light wherever you may be.
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
I want to walk as a child of the light;
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world;
The star of my life is Jesus.Refrain
In him there is no darkness at all;
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God;
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.I want to see the brightness of God;
I want to look at Jesus.
Clear Sun of righteousness, shine on my path,
And show me the way to the Father.Refrain
I’m looking for the coming of Christ;
I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race,
We shall know the joy of Jesus.Refrain
I’ll see you in Church!
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It’s about a story – THE STORY!
Tonight is the beginning of the Jewish Passover. Jews around the world gather in homes and halls to share in the Seder Meal as they have for thousands of years. The significance of the food and the customs of the Seder unfold in response to a central question that is asked by the youngest person present. "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The story that is told in response to that question is the story of how God delivered the Covenant People from slavery in Egypt. It is the story that is succinctly summarized in Deuteronomy: "The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey"(Deut. 26:8,9).
The story is told every year so that it will be passed from generation to generation and always be remembered. It is because of that story that Jesus and his companions went up to Jerusalem. They were there to celebrate that story, Passover. For Christians, that story is central to why this week is different from all other weeks – why this week is Holy. During those final days, Jesus the Christ becomes the Passover. The ancient story of God's deliverance of a People takes on flesh and becomes the story of God's deliverance of all people for all eternity.
"Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"(I Cor. 5:7,8).
So, we Christians gather during Holy Week to remember God's saving acts throughout history, especially in Jesus Christ. We use the word remember in a particular way when speaking of these things. The Greek word is anamnesis. It does not mean simply to remember a piece of information, like who was President of the United States at a certain time. Instead, it means to bring the reality and significance of something that happened in the past into the present so that we will never not be able to remember it.
Each generation of us is responsible for sharing that story with succeeding generations. That's what this week is about. Not that we only tell the story once a year, but that we never forget how the story has changed everything and shapes our lives every other week of the year. It is the central story of our lives. It is the sacred story of a God who is head over heals in love with his creation and especially God's human children, made in God's image.
On her Facebook page, Episcopal theologian Diana Butler Bass recently shared this example of why we must never stop telling the story. "After a long day of flying, I went to the hotel lounge for a glass of local red wine. There, I got in a conversation with a woman, who is about my age, who never heard of Passion Week and asked me to explain Palm Sunday and Easter to her. I told her the story of Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem, of his betrayal, death, and resurrection. About how human it is; how our betrayals turn into our rebirth. She got tears in her eyes. 'That's so beautiful,' she said. 'How come no one has ever told me this before?'"
It is a beautiful story. It is a life-transforming story. It is THE STORY. In Holy Week, we Christians gather to hear it anew so that we can tell it to others, just as Diana told it to that woman who had never heard it before. And, to borrow a phrase from St. Francis, in telling the story, we can use words if necessary.
I'll see you in Church!