Catholicity, Orthodoxy, and Lordship
God is unchanging. The calendar changes, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
We are a dependent people, and today we express our dependence by receiving God’s gifts in worship.
This morning the incarnate Son of God has come for us, so that we might be changed into His image. We are a changing people, but we strive to image the unchanging God whose Name we celebrate this morning, Jesus, our Immanuel.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are going to read a section of Isaiah 7 this morning. Of course, Isaiah 7 is well known for its 14th verse, which reads: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But there is much more to this prophecy in Isaiah. In fact, we can say that this prophecy goes all the way to chapter 9. And since the other sections of Isaiah are rarely mentioned during this time of the year, I want draw your attention to a brief section of Isaiah 8. The prophet says: “Don’t call a conspiracy all that this people call a conspiracy; and don’t fear what they fear.” In other words, if you are going to fear someone, fear Yahweh. The King James translates this word “conspiracy” as a “confederacy;” that is, an “alliance.” The prophet is saying that when you consider the nations and their plans don’t follow their alliances and their conspiracies, follow Yahweh’s conspiracy; the alliance he is building through the One who is to come.
In our own day, we are exposed to all sorts of conspiracy theories. But always remember whose conspiracy you are embracing; whose plans you are endorsing; whose Messiah you are following. Make no mistake: there is a conspiracy, but it is a divine conspiracy. Yahweh is building His kingdom through humble worshipers who by their faithfulness day by day are bringing Messiah’s claims to every area of life. The alliance, the conspiratorial gathering begins this morning. Today, Yahweh calls us to meet with Him and He is going to tell us what His plans are, and then He is going to cleanse us, commune with us, and lastly, He will commission us to do what we were created to do: to fear God and walk in His holy ways all our days.
Our reading from Isaiah this morning prophecies a time when the ransomed shall return; when they will make a new exodus; when the people of Israel will find green pastures, when the desert shall blossom with every beauty of the garden; when hearts will be turned from evil to good. This was the expectation of everyone until the 1st century. And only when Christ came did their expectations find fulfillment; only when Christ came they obtained gladness and joy. The injustices are gone, because the King of Justice has come. Our expectation this morning is that Christ who is the great healer of Israel will also heal our weary bodies by giving us a glorious vision of the heavenlies and feeding us with at His table.
Let us pray: Father, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, to save us and restore us to your friendship. Look upon our contrite heart and afflicted spirit and heal our troubled conscience, so that in the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit we may proclaim your praise and glory before all the nations.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The story of Ruth is another example of the two cities. Elimelech wanted to build his own city; he wanted to look after his own interests. Like Jonah, he thought he could escape God’s purposes. On the other hand, Boaz was building a city after God’s own purpose. He sought to serve others, and by serving others he established a community of peace.
We may be living in the same world, but God’s people are called to establish an earthly city with a heavenly model. This model is a model set for us by our Lord, who came not to be served, but to serve. This is our calling as citizens in God’s world.
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even though, All Saints’ Day is celebrated on the first day of November, yet, the Church calls us this Sunday to remember this great and glorious day. What does All Saints’ Day say to us as a 21st century people?
First, All Saints’ Day challenges our individualism. It rebukes us for thinking that we are an a-historical people. It reminds us that we are historically connected to the universal church of all ages. When we are tempted to re-invent ourselves, we must remember the saints gone before us and that our identity is united to theirs; we are one in Christ Jesus. When we are tempted to arrive at certain conclusions without the wisdom of the Church, we must remember the legacy that has been left for us and we must not despise it.
Second, on a very practical note: how many biographies have you read of the saints gone before you (200 years ago is still modern history)? When was the last time you read a biography of a 4th century saint like Augustine? Have you ever read about Athanasius, Constantine, Aquinas or Iraeneus or John Chrysostom? Have you ever read the Church Fathers? This is not to guilt you, but it is to cause you to come to the realization that without understanding your past you will not understand your future.
Finally, All Saints’ Day is a profound reminder that life is eternal; that our great hope is in the restoration of all things in the great resurrection day; it is the great hope that one day all the saints gone before us in different ages will be joined together in one common age—the age of eternity—where we will forever and forever feast and rejoice in the presence of our great Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer: But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Marriage is all about maturity. Marriage is for sanctification; growth and wisdom. We learn from one another; we one another one another as we listen and share life’s burdens together.
One reason the psalms are so sanctifying is because in them we find a similar pattern of bride and groom talking to one another. The bride shares with the groom her most intimate details and the groom responds with grace and care.
The book of Ruth reflects this pattern. Boaz responds to Ruth as a groom responds to the bride: he listens and acts accordingly. He listens and loves accordingly. He listens and protects accordingly. Boaz is a Christ-figure, because Christ longs to hear from His bride; Christ hears and acts accordingly.
Today, Bride of Christ, our husband calls us to come boldly before the throne of grace. So, let us come and prepare to ascend into the heavenly places.
Exhortation
October 17th, Pentecost Season
Exhortation: Pastor Brito, Maturing Patiently
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Garden was a story about the lack of patience. Adam and Eve failed to wait for God’s gifts. They were not patient enough to grow up and receive the blessings of God. In fact, much of redemptive history is about how godly men waited patiently to take action and how some failed to wait. For us as New Covenant believers, the redemption of the world will only come when enough patient Christians act wisely; when enough of them are patient to pass on the faith to their children; patient to build civilizations and cultures according to God’s Word; patient to take action at the right time. This is exactly what we will see in Ruth’s story this morning; it is a story of patience; of waiting for the right time to take action. As Isaiah 40 tells us:
“They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
So, let us embrace patience as a way of life. Let us mature patiently and in due time the Garden will be ours again.
Prayer: Our God, we thank you that Jesus was patient with humanity and that in due time He gave up His life for us. Prepare our hearts and establish us so we may receive your gifts in this service. Amen.
Every time we read the laws in the Old Covenant we are constantly confronted with these words: “Remember what Yahweh did for you in Egypt…remember what He did for you.” It is not uncommon to hear the criticism that the Church is legalistic and moralistic. And it is certainly possible that the Church may err at times in this dimension. But truly, what is the Law of God, except a response to what God has done for us? Remember that what God did for Israel is what God did for us. You were in Egypt, you were a slave. The story of redemption is your story. Obedience to God’s law is not moralism it is gratitude for all that Yahweh has done for us.
Last week in Sunday school I mentioned that the Creeds play a crucial role in forming us as a people. It shapes the way we think about the Christian world. In particular, the Nicene Creed was formed in a time of great trials. It has been written that when the Council of Nicea was convened to discuss the nature of Jesus Christ; to discuss whether Arius’ assertion that Jesus was a created being or whether, as Athanasius strongly affirmed that Jesus was God of God and Light of Lights, it was said that the bishops who appeared to discuss this important issue travelled from all over the world to this occasion. Some of them were blind, some of them could no longer hear, some of them bore the scars of their persecutors in their backs and faces. They were bruised and beaten, but yet it was their unshakable commitment to the deity of Jesus, that He was truly God of God, truly the Only Begotten, Not made, that made these men the heroes of our faith. This morning when we confess the Nicene Creed together, we are confessing our faith with the saints gone before us, men who literally gave their lives, so that biblical truth would prevail. We will declare this morning that there is no debate concerning Jesus. He is the eternal Son of God, our Light and our Salvation.
In Genesis 2, we hear that God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The notion of rest can have all sorts of meaning in our modern context, but for the Hebrew rest was synonymous with shalom. Rest meant to find delight and joy in an accomplishment. In Christ, we find joy and delight in the work our week and today we rest in God. In Christ we are united to God’s rest on the seventh day of creation; we are united to Him. Our rest today is a rest of joy. This entire liturgy is a liturgy of rest for the weary and heavy-laden. It is a liturgy that says YES and AMEN to God’s work for us and Yes and Amen to what we are about to do. To rest is to see by faith that God is calling His holy assembly to gather to be refreshed and restored. This liturgy is a restorative liturgy. So, this morning prepare yourselves to enter into God’s rest. God has declared this day holy.