This Sunday is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany and traditionally we hear the account of Jesus’ transfiguration. Peter, James and John are on the mountain with Jesus, when all of a sudden they see him morph into all of his glory and standing next to him is Moses and Elijah, the two most significant figures in the Old Testament. Peter is so moved by this that he offers to build three dwellings or places of rest. However, at that moment, the glory of the Lord overtakes the disciples and they are suddenly left alone with only Jesus and they hear a voice from heaven state, “This is my well beloved son listen to him.”

One of the lessons being conveyed in this moment is that Moses and Elijah—the Law and the Prophets—ultimately point to our rest, however they do not nor can they offer rest.

I recently saw this illustrated in the new Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana on Netflix. I have a tween daughter so Taylor Swift is all the rage in my household. There are two subplots in the documentary that struck my attention:

• The first was Swift’s relentless quest to earn a Grammy.

• The second is her constant desire to be loved and affirmed by the crowd.

Whenever we find ourselves attempting to become something to fulfill an unmet need, we have entered into the realm of the Law and the Prophets. The Law and the Prophets reveal to us perfection and they always demand it, therefore the horizon for satisfaction always seems to be moving away from us.

At the age of 21, Swift earned her first Grammy and the first thought that went through her mind was not, “Wow, it is finished. I am done.” Instead, it was more like, “Is that it? Shouldn’t I have someone to share this moment with?” With sold-out stadiums worldwide filled with adoring fans, the documentary revealed a few nasty comments from TV hacks and Kanye West got so under her skin that it caused an eating disorder and a relentless schedule in order to receive a sense of approval that was never coming.

The point is this: there can’t be three places of rest because only Jesus is our rest. The nag of the Law and the Prophets will never go away. They will always call into question if you have actually done enough. There is only one place where true rest is found, and that is in Jesus.

“This is my well beloved son listen to him.”

Jesus says to you: in me you are enough. In Jesus, the accusation of Moses and the Prophets disappears and you discover that, while you may not be enough, Jesus is enough for you.

See you this Sunday.

Pax,

Jacob

In the 18th century, two famous Enlightenment thinkers argued that the Christian revolution was a mistake.

The English historian Edward Gibbon held that the triumph of Christianity led to “an age of superstition and credulity,” while the French philosopher François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) contended that “every sensible man, every honourable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror.” These men were not saying that the Christianity is outmoded, they were arguing that the faith is morally repugnant.

Until recently, contemporary British historian Tom Holland agreed with these sentiments. He was convinced that the Enlightenment project was founded on the recovery of long-forgotten, pre-Christian values. That is, until he did his own in-depth research on the great classical civilizations: The Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Each, of course, has their glory, but he notes each were also callous and grotesque. Ethnicity was paramount; brutality rampant. What’s more, in these ancient pre-Christian civilizations, the poor had no intrinsic value.

These are the reasons why Tom Holland has admitted to being “wrong about Christianity.” According to him, there are two values contemporaries treasure that stem not from classical civilizations but from Christianity. The first is that the poor have a claim on the rich. The second is that there is “neither Jew nor Greek” (or, no ethnic group is superior to another).

Having studied ancient history before attending seminary, I have real admiration for the great ideals and accomplishments; the spirit and ingenuity of the classical world. But when reading about the treatment of the weak and the “other,” I could not help but be appalled. Jews and Christians were the first to give dignity to the poor; the followers of a crucified Lord the first to explicitly denounce the torture of a defeated outsider.

And while I’m thankful for Holland’s sympathetic voice--including that he’s made clear that the values Gibbon and Voltaire cherish are, in fact, owed to Christian revolution they denounce--there’s a Christian value I think he fails to notice. I’d write about it now, but that might mean you won’t come Sunday. Until then…

Grace and Peace,

Ben

Dear Friends,

There is so much going on around the parish this weekend.

On Saturday, we will celebrate the feast of Sam Shoemaker.

Sam Shoemaker

Sam Shoemaker was one of the great rectors of Calvary Church and is considered a tremendous spiritual influence upon Alcoholics Anonymous. The day begins at 9 a.m. and will be filled with insightful lectures on the universality and spirituality of The Twelve Steps.

I also want to remind everyone that we have only one service this Sunday: St. George’s Church at 11 a.m.

Immediately following the service is the annual meeting of the parish. I really want to encourage you to stay and participate in the meeting. We have some great people who have been nominated for vestry. I will also distribute a parish-wide survey and cast the vision for 2020. It is shaping up to be another great year of mission and ministry. 

Finally, this Sunday is also The Feast of the Presentation.

This is the 40th day after Christmas and is considered the height of the Epiphany Season. This Sunday, we will remember that, in accordance with the Mosaic Law, Jesus was presented in the temple. St. Matthew tells us that Joseph and Mary “offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord” a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. This offering was, according to the Law for Mary’s purification, 40 days after the birth of a child. Now, one of the interesting things about this passage is that Joseph and Mary only offer two young pigeons, instead of a lamb. If you were wealthy, you would have also offered a lamb. This tells us that they were part of a poorer class. However, that is not what is powerful about this passage.

What is powerful is that, most likely unbeknownst to them, there was a lamb in their midst: the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In their very midst was Jesus, who would not only cleanse Mary, but the whole world by his sacrifice. When you read the text from this lens, it brings is such power to the prophecy of both Simeon and Anna, who approach the humble and holy family that day in the temple.

Simeon prophesizes:

“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.”

Credit: @rjimageryphoto on Instagram

Join us this Sunday as we join Simeon and Anna, and not only see our salvation--in bread that is his body and wine that is blood--but once again hear about our salvation in the Gospel preached and given in its totality to you. You don’t want to miss it.

Pax,

Jacob

Dear Friends,

On Christmas Eve, we danced. We celebrated because St. John’s Gospel makes clear: “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” This Sunday, we’ll read similar news from St. Matthew:    

The people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death

light has dawned (Matthew 4:16)

For those oppressed by the powers of Sin and Death, this is reason to dance. It is in light of this new context of hope—of having been set free—that Jesus proclaims, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”   

But what does it mean to repent?

For some of you. this word brings to mind the image of a man with a sign yelling at you. When Jesus says “repent,” he is saying, “Be of a new mind;” “change your whole way of thinking;” “wrap your mind around this!”

This isn’t so much a call to get your act together. This is a call to embrace a completely different kind of reality: the unexpected reality of God’s gracious love has invaded this broken world. “The kingdom of God has drawn near!”

So what does this new reality look like?

It is marked by the forgiveness of sins, the undoing of all that has gone wrong, the inversion of tit for tat. This new reality has its consequences—it will cause us to doubt our common-sense notions of how the world works—but it’s also the greatest news of all:

Despair does not have the final word! Death has no dominion over us. We need be nihilists and stoics no more.

And so we keep dancing. 

Alleluia, alleluia,

Ben

Dear Calvary-St. George’s Friends and Family,

We are well into the New Year and I pray you are all doing well and maintaining your New Year’s Resolutions… or at least not beating yourself up over your failures to maintain them (or even the one). Recently, I was given the book, “The Small Changes That Change Everything” by Dr. B.J. Fogg. In the opening pages of the book, Dr. Fogg makes the point that information alone does not reliably change behavior. Instead, his research shows that there are actually only a few things that make lasting change in our lives, one of them being an Epiphany. 

However, Fogg writes:

“Creating a true epiphany for ourselves (or others) is difficult and probably impossible.  We should rule out that option unless we have magical powers (I don’t.)”

Photo credit: Sara Beth Turner

As a Church, we are now in the season of Epiphany. When we gather and remember that God has given an Epiphany to the whole world: that in his Son Jesus, God is our Lord, friend, and most importantly, savior. This Epiphany is Good News because the Epiphany is that God is for failures, for resolution breakers, and meets us right where we are.

The Epiphany is that Jesus is not your divine life coach who says: try a little harder next time or let me see if I can help. Instead, Jesus is our Redeemer who, with his broken body and shed blood, says, “Enjoy Your Forgiveness.”  

This Epiphany really does change lives.

Think about your own life… every time someone has stopped assessing you (although the assessment might be right) and just loved you, something does change within us.

This is the impossible made possible and I pray it makes a huge difference in your life.

Jesus has fulfilled the correct assessment of the law and your conscience, and it has not only made lasting difference in your life; it has made an eternal difference, resolutions kept or not.  

Enjoy your Forgiveness,

The Reverend Jacob Smith