Archives

All posts for the month April, 2001

Easter 3

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on April 29, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

April 29, 2001 Acts 5:27-32 + Revelation 5:11-14 + John 21:1-19

With familiar images of the Eucharist through out this familiar text, it is easy to drift through the words and miss some little, but powerful subtle points.With the figures of Peter and Jesus looming so personally and intimately in the text, the setting might easily be missed.So, I want to invite you to pay attention to the things going on beyond the words; to the setting rather than the dialogue, to the behavior rather than dialogue.John’s consistent dramatic interests show up again, even though scholars tell us this is not John’s text, but a later addition. Who ever did it, certainly knew the style he was imitating. The lighting directions are always significant. Darkness and Light play against one another as much as good and evil.

On their own, the disciples can do nothing. They fish all night, and have nothing to show for it. They respond to the Risen Lord, and there’s more than they could have hoped for He comes at dawn with resurrection implications, and Peter’s swim in the lake has all kinds of Baptismal implications for those looking for symbols.

As often as I have sat with this text, and as often as I have preached this text, this past week, I heard something in it I’ve never heard before. Too interested in the number of fish, Peter’s rehabilitation and restoration to leadership in spite of his weakness, and the commentary on the manner of his death all set in a Eucharistic frame work let me miss this other little item.

Jesus sends Peter back to get some fish from what they have caught with his help. Peter brings those fish to the meal, and with the fruit of their labor, they are nourished by the Lord who provided it all for them…….These disciples do not come to the Lord’s meal empty handed. They do not come to simply get something. They work. They bring the fruit of their labor They know where and how they have these fish to bring. Having worked all night by themselves, they had nothing until the Lord joined them in their effort.

This second generation church shares with us more than their faith in the Risen Christ, more than their loyalty to Peter forgiven, more than their understanding of their mission to forgive and to feed others. They show us in the behavior of this story a truth we easily forget. Without the Lord we work for nothing. When we follow the Lord’s command, there is abundance. When we come to the Lord’s banquet, breakfast, or Eucharist, we do not come empty handed, because he bids us all to bring some of what we have earned by our labor.

I’ve come to believe that there are four things all ofus share in common which this beautiful Gospel explores so clearly We are born into this world totally impoverished and in desperate need. We are born into this world totally dependent upon anotherWe are born into this world with an unquenchable hunger and thirst. We are born into this world with a desperate need to be loved.

Like these disciples, we have nothing of our own, and until we meet the Lord Jesus Christ, we are utterly poor, no matter what we can stock pile and hoard. In fact, the more stuff we get, the more we recognize our impoverishment and want more. We can do nothing in this world by ourselves. These disciples fished all night and caught nothing until the heard the Word of God and responded to it without question, and then it took all of them together to get the fish to shore.Our hunger in this life is not for fish nor for bread, but for forgiveness and companionship with God, and that’s the only thing and the only food that will not leave us hungry again.Our need to be loved is somehow a reflection of God’s need to be loved, and only in that mutual love will we be confident that the love is true and lasting no matter what we’ve done or what we’ve said in the past.

In this human condition, we assemble here on Easter’s third Sunday The Lord asks us to bring something of what we have, and the word reminds us that we having nothing without the Lord’s presence on the shore. Our response to his request is about to happen when the offerings are accepted, and then he asks the question, not to Peter, but to all who accept his gifts: “Do you Love Me?”

Easter 2

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on April 22, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

April 22, 2001 Acts 5:12-16 + Revelation 1:9-3,17-19 + John 20:19-31

Two powerful human emotions draw us into the readings today· fear and doubt. Any follower of Jesus would have every reason to be filled with fear in those days following his death; and the years following were not much better as the little minority group began to experience the hostility, the blame, and the persecution of every other social and political group that was threatened by their spirit, joy, and identity Not much has changed. Minority groups still get the blame and experience hostility in the form of racism and hatred for social i11, economic trouble. Fear is still sunk deep in the human heart, but when it comes to religion, it’s not something we experience in the 21st century

On the other hand, doubt is something with which we can easily identify The doubts experienced by Thomas mean more to us than the fear The gospel tells stories of disciples running in fear and denying their relationship with Jesus. In the present there are also enough stories to be told, personal ones when our relationship with Jesus is denied or we cut and run; but not because of fear Few of us get close enough to be really afraid. embarrassed maybe, not really afraid.

The truth is, we’re not really afraid of much at all theses days. In fact, we entertain ourselves with simulated fear Horror movies ghost stories, haunted houses, and games of virtual reality all tease us with fear, but it’s all over when the lights are on. There are some things scare us. diseases we cannot control, loss of a job, having our homes broken into, domestic terrorism, and for some global warming is a real danger But, worried because we are Christian? Not much change of that. It might be a problem in the middle east, but not here.

I am beginning to suspect that there’s something missing when we don’t know fear with faith. So much of the Gospel addresses fear, and the greeting: “Fear Not” Almost leaves us out, and as a result, we begin to hear the gospel as though it’s addressed to someone else, or as though it’s some old piece of ancient literature and we’re reading about the olden days when things were tough, as we read about the years before electricity and before instant communications. If we get serious about the Gospel, it seems to me that fear and faith go hand in hand.That faith and fear are almost in direct proportions. The more you believe, the more you have to fear I am proposing to you that what God has to say to us today when He speaks through the scriptures to this age and our generation has something to do with a missing emotion.

Comfortable and compromised these days, faith is often used to condemn others, justify our behavior and attitudes for self preserving conditions. In fact, for some, there is fear from the power Christians now use to deny expression of different  faith and customs to people different from themselves. Those who do give their all and risk something for their faith in Jesus are judged to be fanatics and extremists. They are dismissed easily and shoved to the margins of our lives with little attention to what and whom they believe.

Doubt seems more appropriate for us. It is certainly more “in” these days. It’s far more common to hear someone say· “I don’t believe all that stuff.” than hear someone say· “I’m afraid.” We really ought to admit it. We don’t do enough because of our faith or say enough because of our faith to be afraid of anything. When I listen carefully to the story of Thomas, as I have, like you, every Easter season for as long as I can remember, I begin to wonder about this business of doubt and fear, because Thomas wanted to see Jesus face to face, and he got what he asked for, and he became a believer Since he was out of the locked room that first time Jesus dropped in, I have come to suspect that he wasn’t quite as afraid as everyone else. It’s either that or he had more courage than the others, and I don’t think that was the case, because I believe that courage is a by product of faith.Thomas just didn’t have enough faith to be afraid.

I suspect that the moment he said. “My Lord and my God.” Things changed for him dramatically I suspect he found a new vulnerability along with the other gifts of peace, healing, forgiveness, and life. If like Thomas, we want to see Jesus, we had better be ready for all that it may mean for us. Most likely if he were to stand here before us, doubters that we are, he would NOT say, “Do not be afraid.” Perhaps he would say· “Do not be afraid to be afraid.”

Easter Morning

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on April 15, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

April 15, 2001 Act 10:34-43 + 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 + Luke 24:1-12

A shepherd awakened one morning to find that one of his ewes had given birth to a lamb, but the lamb had died. Continuing the daily inspection of the flock, the Shepherd found that another ewe had given birth during the night but had died, leaving her lamb to fend for itself. So, the shepherd had a childless mother on one hand a an orphan lamb on the other Quick thinking and sensible logic tell him that he should put the orphan with the childless mother Should work, shouldn’t it?However, it doesn’t work, not at all, because the mother knows the lamb is not her own and the lamb is too confused and miserable to relate to her The condition this story describes is a metaphor for the human condition the prophets of old recognized as our condition. We have been alienated from one another and from God, and like the newborn lamb, we had been dying from starvation while God, as it were, was dying of a broken heart.

Wise shepherds know that there is a remedy to this situation. It the shepherd takes some blood from the dead lamb and washes the orphan lamb in it, the mother, recognizing a familiar scent, will immediately begin to feed and care for the orphan as her own. In other words, the orphan is saved and brought to life by its adoption through the blood.

Today we celebrate the fact that we, who once were orphaned, alienated and marked for death through sin, have been washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ. Washed, healed, forgiven, and redeemed, we are a people, who by virtue of the Blood of Christ are recognized by God, welcomed and cared for just as he cared for and loved Jesus, His Son.

The post Christian world in which we live would rather have us look backward and be content with Easter pageants that re enact a past event and stir our sentiments for a dead Christ, or it would entertain us with bunny rabbits, Easter eggs, and new clothes. But the Gospel we proclaim is for Easter 2001 in the first year of the third millennium. It has it’s roots in the past, but its fruits in the present. The Gospel we proclaim is about you and me, not about Mary Magdalen, Peter, and John. It is about our doubts and dis-belief. It is about our disappointments and our hunger, our frustration with injustice and our longing for peace, healing and wholeness. It is about our need to belong and find our right place in life and with each other It is about our desperate need for a relationship that works, that lasts, that nurtures, and is mutual. It is about our longing for joy and lasting happiness that does not fade and fail.

The Gospel we have to proclaim in word and by the witness of our lives  transformed is that all we long for is given to us and is ours to share. What He  taught is not defeated by death, for His spirit lives in us. The service Christ taught us is not finished, the healing is not over, nor is the forgiveness. Death has no power over what we have been given. We who believe, who are washed in His blood, who have received His Spirit, who eat His flesh, are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. We hold the light of Christ to those in the night of fear When those we have loved walk away or leave us behind in death, we have one companion in life’s journey who never leaves.

What we proclaim to all the world this day is that there is nothing here for us: nothing that lasts, nothing that can satisfy our hunger our loneliness or our restlessness. Those who seek satisfaction in this world well seek it forever We do not look for the living among the dead. “He is not here.” said the angel to those who came seeking. All that we seek is to be found among the living – in the companionship of the faithful, the church. All that we need to satisfy our hunger for life is the bread of this table. All that we need to find healing forgiveness and peace is the love of Christ shared in this place. All that we need to awaken the Joy of this day is to be found in the human family born again in water and spirit, and bound together in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Washed in His blood, welcomed by God, we are not orphans, but daughters and sons of God. The Lamb of God has made it so. Delivered from slavery and passed over by the angel of death, we rejoice in the paschal lamb whose blood sprinkled on the door posts saved and redeemed God’s people. We are not born to die as this world might think. We are born to live through love in Christ. We are here because for us something has happened and we see. Fear of ridicule and scorn cannot keep us from proclaiming and living what Jesus taught us. Our faults and differences cannot keep us from working together for the truth. Religious differences cannot keep us from working together for the common good. What died on Good Friday was death itself, fear, darkness, and all that opposes life. What rises today is hope itself and the Joy and goodness, Spirit and Love that sustains it.

Peace be with you my friends. May the music, the laughter, and the beauty of this day hold you in peace until your journey’s end.

Passion Sunday

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on April 8, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

April 8, 200l Isaiah 50:4-7 + Philippians 2:6-11 + Luke 22:14-23:56

The words of the Prophet Isaiah today must be the words of the church, and perhaps never more so than this week for the Church in Oklahoma as we “speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.” (Isaiah 50:4-7) The prophet urges us to be resolute and unyielding in our faith as he says. “I have set my face like flint knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”

This world is weary and so is this city We are weary of violence, abuse, and rage: from roads to airports, from homes and schools to our offices and stores, from Serbia to Oklahoma City there is rage, abuse, and violence. In the midst of it, we stand to proclaim to that world and this city a gospel of hope, healing, and peace; a Gospel of reconciliation and forgiveness. In a week we call “Holy” we shall gather our strength to celebrate the week we call “Easter” During that week this year, we shall, in this city, inevitably be taken back to that day in the same week when our innocense and isolation was shattered by a bomb at 9:02 in the morning.

This year we shall have it all before us again. Some will insist that what happens in Terre Haute is what they call “Justice” Some will speak of closure and tease us to think that somehow another death will bring us healing. When in fact and in faith only one death brought healing, the death we shall observe on Friday of this week. As we tell the story of that death again today, we are reminded of those who died beside Jesus. the two criminals. In them we see ourselves: set in our ways and unrepentant, or touched by grace and acknowledged by mercy

Another death will not bring healing where it has not been accepted and acknowledged through the one death that teaches us forgiveness. Another death in Indiana will not satisfy the needs of justice. It is greater than one man and one deed. When he is dead, we shall still remember, we shall still see that comer of our city, we shall still hear the sounds of sirens and smell the smoke. We shall still grieve the loss and feel the pain.

We have in faith our own memorial on the comer opposite the site of the Murrah building. There stands Jesus who wept over Jerusalem. At that moment, Luke records for us these words: “If you too had only recognized on this day the way to peace.” The prophet and the Savior speak to us today as we begin our procession into Holy and Easter Weeks. They would have us recognize the way that leads to peace, and they would have us speak of that peace to the weary “Forgiveness” is name of the road that leads to peace and healing. It is the only way to get there. It is what he taught us as he lay down to be nailed to the cross. It is what he spoke of in mercy to the man hanging beside him who recognized the folly of his other way It is the best and the Gospel way to rouse the weary, and we must never tire of saying so nor tire of behaving so.

Lent 5

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on April 1, 2001

Posted in: Uncategorized.

April 1, 2001 Isaiah 43:16-21 + Philippians 3:8-14 + John 8:1-11

She was between 12 and 14 years old. The law said if you were married and committed adultery you were to be strangled. If you were betrothed, you were to be stoned. So we know even more about her Before that day, she had no rights. According to their law, adultery consisted of intercourse with a woman betrothed or married to another man.On the other hand, men could freely have intercourse with any woman except the wife of another man. Moreover, a husband could accuse his wife of adultery, but a wife could accuse a husband of nothing.Adultery was a crime against the rights of a man, not against those of the woman who was subject to the husband.

In this story, there is no escaping the fact that the man has not been caught, or at least not brought to trial. He’s not there, which reveals the intent of those who bring the girl before Jesus. The missing man is guilty too. He has committed adultery with a betrothed woman. If this were a serious trial, he would be there too.Jesus is trapped. Ifhe says. “Fulfill the law” He’s in trouble with the Romans who do not allow the Jews to put anyone to death. Ifhe says: “Let her go.” he’s violating the Mosaic law, but this was not a matter of dealing with the consequences of the law It was an effort to trap Jesus, and so, it’s not about the woman nor is it about Jesus. It’s about them. It’s as though they are attempting to put Jesus on trial, but the truth is, they are the ones on trial here.They are the ones about whom judgement is to be made. In the end however, this is a story about rights.

It has always struck me that what is not said in this story is more important than what is said. She comes empty handed. They stand there with fists full of stones. Righteous and all very proper, they contrast themselves to one filled with shame. We are left to chose where we shall stand. with the righteous, or with the shameful. In our hearts, we know where we belong, and the season has been about that very recognition.All of us are caught in the act, and the act is not adultery It is a refusal of mercy which in behavior becomes judgmental righteousness.

The question asked by Jesus reaches to each ofus who would hide behind the law to condemn another while confirming ourselves in the blindness of our hearts.The one who had no rights, gets them in the new creation begun with Jesus, and her right is the right to mercy. Like the parable of last week’s assembly, it’s easy for us to identify with the sinners seeking forgiveness while the story is really an invitation to identify with  the Father who gives it. We are a people always claiming and insisting on our rights, probably never more than in this age.The story today is about rights, specifically, a right those so quick to condemn are always quick to deny. The good news today is that when judgemental righteousness are finally driven away, we can stand empty handed before one another in trust and sincerity, and all that remains is misery and mercy, face to face.