The account of Jesus’ Transfiguration is part of a larger section of Luke’s Gospel that contains his teaching on the meaning of real discipleship; what it means to be students of Christ. By our exploring the Transfiguration from that perspective, we can understand that Jesus’ Transfiguration demonstrates three key elements of being disciples: Glory, Praise, and Action.
You and I, as followers of Jesus Christ, are invited to live in the Kingdom of God. Since we are invited to be residents of that Kingdom, it is worth our learning what we can about the neighborhood. First, where might we look for it? The Gospel parables suggest that the extraordinary is hidden in plain sight; in the ordinary circumstances of our everyday lives.
7/23/2017
Pentecost 7A
Proper 11
The Gospel story today is usually called the Parable of the Sower; it is really a story about the Four Soils that the seeds were cast upon. In three out of four cases, the seed does not produce a plant that bears fruit. The skill of the sower and the quality of the seed are not the problem. The hazard keeping the seed from bearing fruit is the quality of the soil. For the teachings of Jesus to bear fruit in our lives and to affect other lives, we need to understand what Jesus is saying about the quality of the soils. I suggest that we examine the truth that each of us has a mix of all four kinds of soil at work in us.
Last Sunday I spoke about ways that Bishop Mary modeled God’s grace working in her at the funeral service for her husband, Michael. I described two expressions of God’s Grace: The first was Sanctifying Grace, which brings growth, maturity, and movement forward in the process of becoming Christ-like.
Grace is the topic that every Christian needs to understand, because Grace uniquely distinguishes the Christian faith from every other religion in the world. Our understanding the works of Grace, and our living the life of Grace can transform our Christian life.
We usually simplify Grace to stand for God’s unconditional love. But it is actually much more than that.
There is a tension in the Gospel lesson. Jesus has told us that he and the Father are one; and we are one with them; one body among those who have made the decision to follow him. In the reading today he says that he comes to set father against son – between those who decide to follow, and those who decide not to follow Jesus. This is Jesus’ call to make a decision about what we do about him.
OT-Mosaic Covenant; not just with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; but with the nation.
“If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples…. You shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”
To be model for all nations, living according to the Law; 10 Commandments;
4-how we live out our relationship with God
6-how we live out our relationship with each other Found to be very difficult.
Paul writes to the Roman church about the NEW covenant that God established through Jesus Christ. Humankind falls short; we are put right again; reconciled; by the life and death of Jesus Christ. This covenant is unilateral and unconditional. Nothing we do takes away God’s love for us. Nothing. Through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, we are a new community, God’s beloved family.
This is a very different kind of Sunday in the church year. Every other Feast Day of the year is about an event (like Easter or Christmas or Epiphany or Pentecost). But today we celebrate a doctrine. Brilliant minds over the last 2000 years have worked to clearly define the Trinity. Listen to some of the attempts:
Audio only