Today's Gospel reading and Sermon for Sunday, September 24, 2023, is provided by Rev. Robert Sears on behalf of the Anglican Parish of St. Cyprian's, Lacombe, Alberta. If you click "more" in the description box below the video, you'll be able to read Rev. Robert's commentary notes for his sermon. May it bless your day. 😊
Readings for Sunday, September 24, 2023:
Exodus 16: 2-15
Psalm 105: 1-6 and 37-35
Philippians 1: 21-30
The Gospel of Matthew 20: 1-6.
Today's Sermon from Sunday, September 17, 2023, is presented by Rev. Robert Sears on behalf of the Anglican Parish of St. John's, Olds, Alberta, Canada. May it bless your day.
"The reading (Matthew 18:21-35) follows upon last week's introduction to reconciliation. Peter wants to negotiate with Jesus and set some concrete limits to how many times he might have to forgive. It seems Peter is none too interested in this covenental relationship. Jesus counters Peter's opening gambit with a exaggerated counter number of times to forgive. And then he tells a parable."I suggest the parable asserts a fact and has a moral. The fact is that God's gift to the disciples is reconciliation. The moral is that they should forgives as earnestly as if their life depended on it."Peter seems to want for the unconditional compassion required for reconciliation. In order to paint a picture of what that covenental compassion looks like on the social level, I recount some of what the people in Gander Newfoundland did 22 years ago. They showed the world want generosity looks like. They showed what it looks like to love ones neighbour as themselves. And this is a good contrast to Peter."
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| Cyprian of Carthage Source: Wikipedia Commons |
This week the church remembers St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage and Patron Saint of our Parish of St. Cyprian's, Lacombe, Alberta. His feast day is listed as September 13th in both the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Alternative Services, but both Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica have the date of his death (martyrdom) as September 14th, 258 AD (or "CE" if you prefer). The latter goes on to say that Cyprian's day is celebrated in the Western and Eastern churches on September 16, and in Anglicanism, on September 26!
No matter! Let us remember him with reverence and respect for his service to God and the church -- which began late in his life.
He was by profession a lawyer of Berber descent who became a Christian in about 246 AD. By 248 he'd been elected Bishop of Carthage, and found himself in the midst of persecutions lead by the Roman Emperor Decius. He went into hiding, while many of the church's followers recanted their faith in hopes of saving their lives.
By 251 he was able to return to Carthage and in May of that year was restored as Bishop. He then found himself managing the controversy about reinstating Christians -- including other bishops -- who had 'lapsed' in order to escape persecution. Cyprian expressed his empathy for reinstating lapsed laity, but drew the line at doing so for bishops and clergy -- and this brought him into conflict with the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope).
The controversy continued, and he found himself facing off with the Novatians, who held that NO forgiveness was possible for lapsed Christians. The Novatians had been in Africa during the years Cyprian was hiding. After his return, many of those baptized by the Novatians wanted to return to the church. The question arose: was their baptism by Novatian valid or not?
Cyprian convened no fewer than three Councils on this issue between the autumn of 255 and the spring of 256. In the end, it was agreed that there could be no baptism outside the church -- i.e., absent the Holy Spirit -- so those baptised by Novatian had to be re-baptized to rejoin the church as followers of Jesus, the Christ.
As all of this was going on, Valerian had become Emperor in Rome, and persecution of Christians had been renewed with vigour. Cyprian was arrested and at first subject to exile, but by 258 was brought back to Carthage, tried, convicted and executed.
Centuries later the arguments about baptism remain -- with the Latin West supporting 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism' and the Greek East being inclined to re-baptize lapsed Christians.
All of this history around Cyprian is sourced mainly from his letters and tracts, which are included in the third and fourth volumes of the Patrologia Latina, a collection of writings of the early church fathers.
"I begin by contrasting two very general perspectives on the world we live in: the constrained; and the unconstrained view. How valuable reconciliation is stands out if many problems of life are ultimately intractable and we can only ever make things a bit better (constrained view) without ever making them perfect (unconstrained view)."I suggest that there are two steps to reconciliation: compassion and absolution. The former is unilateral and unconditional. The later is reciprocal and conditional. And since reconciliation requires a reciprocal exchange between two individuals involved in a real or perceived transgression or shortfall, compassion is not enough, unconditional positive regard is not enough, affirmation alone is not enough."The Gospel focuses only whether the two parties talk to one another. Talking is essential, but not enough. I suggest that in conversation the two parties need to agree on what happened, on some possible shared distribution of fault (between the two parties), and more especially the terms that would in fact restore the relationship."Reconciliation can sound easy, but there is a level of seriousness and engagement that is not the common run of things."
It's September! Thus, Rev. Robert Sears has returned to recorded Morning Prayer services. This service for Sunday, September 3, 2023 is provided by Rev. Robert on behalf of the Anglican Parish of St. John's, Olds, Alberta. May it bless your day. 😊
Readings for September 4, 2023: Creation I
Exodus 3: 1-15
Psalm 105: v. 1-6, v. 23-26; 45
Romans 12: 9-21
The Gospel of Matthew: 16: 21-28
Robert writes this about the Gospel reading:
The reading was Matthew 16:21-28, which is Jesus' first passion prediction in Matthew. In that reading Jesus predicts suffering, death, and resurrection. Peter tries to correct Jesus, thinking he is just having a bad day. Jesus chastizes Peter for not appreciating the necessity of suffering to his mission. He also tells the disciples that if they are to follow him, they need to take up their own cross. But what does that mean?
Today I look at that question. In order to better understand it, I look at different views about suffering. The two main views differ on whether suffering is avoidable or not. Of those that suggest suffering is indeed avoidable, some blame others, others blame ourselves and the way we look at at our suffering. Of those that suggest suffering is unavoidable, one view suggests it can be overcome. The other says it can be redeemed.
I know suffering is not something we like to acknowledge or discuss, but it is both at the heart of the Gospel and Jesus' mission. We can't claim to understand either if we don't look seriously at what Jesus was saying that his followers would have to take up their cross to follow him.
I suggest in my sermon that the cross we are called to pick up is just that suffering which is found in our lives. We are to pick up OUR cross not someone else's suffering or some delegated trouble. I also suggest some concrete ways in which we can redeem the time we have found and find in suffering.
In 2019, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada passed a resolution adopting the Season of Creation as a time of prayer, education and action -- and the Church encourages Dioceses and Parishes to participate.
This Season begins September 1 each year and this year runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
You can find out more about this Season and how to observe it both in your church community and at home by visiting this link HERE.
Of particular note: there was a Global Online Prayer Service to mark the beginning of this season today, September 1, 2023; a link to the service on YouTube is posted below:
