THE HOMILY
If
desired, a Homily or Sermon on the Evening Lessons may be preached.
The
preacher, whether Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, now addresses the People,
all standing.
From the 17th chapter of
the Holy Gospel according to Saint John,
beginning at the 25th verse .
A
section of the Gospel of the Day is read.
"Righteous Father, the world does not know
you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.
I made your name known to them, and I will make
it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I
in them."
Upon
conclusion of the reading is said,
In the name of (+) God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
The
People sit and listen to the Sermon.
I.
Introduction – Do we know who God is?
Of course we do!
II.
Sermon Body – The Detail, I need to remind myself of the Classical list of
who God is every now and then. We
Anglicans keep the same list as the Orthodox and the Romans. It is a list that comes from our Holy
Scriptures and the writings of the early Church: GOD IS…
Omnipotent – all-powerful, limited only by
covenant
Omnipresent
- not bound by time and/or space
Omniscient
– all-knowing
Creator
- source of all things
Immutable - communicating whenever and wherever
Perfect
- complete, faultless, exact, entire
Trinity
- the three persons of the Godhead,
God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost
And
of course the Summary of our Faith in God is the Nicene Creed, which was
written over two Ecumenical Councils of the Church. So what is it that our Lord means?
A.
First Point – The Glory of God, His Greatness: Yes, we know God, but not by anything we have done. God has revealed those things we need
to know. That is a gift from Him
to us. The Father revealed His Son
to us. The Son sent us the Holy
Spirit to comfort us, though He has been a calm quiet voice sharing with us
throughout the ages. The Holy
Spirit continues to lead us to know the Father and The Son, not in new
revelation, but in new situations.
The Holy Trinity was there in Genesis, was there at Our Lord’s baptism,
and God will exist forever.
B.
Second Point – Our Iniquity, The Undeserving: Tonight we heard the readings, Psalm, Lesson, and Gospel,
prescribed for this Sunday. We
learn that God loves us and blesses us if we hate evil. We learn that Our Lord is the Alpha and
the Omega, beginning and end. And
we listen in to the Son talk to the Father as he lets the truth of those who
know Him also know of the Father.
Of this
chapter of John that Our Lord continues to pray in the veiled prayer. This is praying how we should
pray. He is teaching us by
example. In the Garden He will
speak with directness.
C.
Third Point – The Thanksgiving, Mercy Given: This past Thursday was the very important Feast of the
Ascension. It is a wonderous
event. Our Lord leaves this earth,
to return next in Judgement. In
the Gospel of Luke we read, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and,
lifting up his hands, he blessed them.”
While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up
into heaven.” I believe and I marvel that as Christ is blessing the Apostles He
leaves them as they watch. They
have been told that He must leave if they are to receive the power of the Holy
Spirit. I think they were a bit
less troubled by the Ascension then they were by the Crusifixion…maybe a bit.
Also in the readings at the Ascension we learn we can never know God’s
plans by time and date, that God truly is the King over all nations of the
earth, and that God the Father’s power is put to work by His Son. If we didn’t know it already we should
understand it now.
III.
Conclusion – Reiterate the Sermon Points: So, do we know God?
I repeat the little prayer, become hymn, of Richard Chichester
everyday. It goes like this:
"Day by day, dear
Lord, of thee three things I pray:
to
see thee more clearly,
love
thee more dearly,
follow
thee more nearly,
day
by day."
Richard of Chichester (A.D. 1197-1253)
The
sentence from the Gospel of the Day is reread.
"Righteous Father, the world does not know
you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.”
Upon conclusion of the
reading is said,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore.
2 Cor. 13:14.
The Sermon/Homily is concluded.
In Christ's love, Fr. Robert Pax
