THE SERMON
The preacher, whether
Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, now addresses the People,
all standing.
From the 7th chapter of
the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke,
beginning at the 8th verse.
A section of the Gospel
of the Day is read.
For I also am a man set under authority, with
soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,'
and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and
turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in
Israel have I found such faith."
Upon conclusion of the
reading is said,
The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him.
St. John 4:23.
The People sit and listen
to the Word of God proclaimed.
I.
Introduction – Thesis, the Beginning
Faith under authority:
I can understand that.
Let’s see what St. Jerome has to say about these verses:
“As we praise the faith of the
Centurion, in that he believes that his servant could be healed by the Savior,
so also he reveals his own humility, in this, that he considered himself
unworthy that the Lord should enter his house. Hence: And the
Centurion making answer said: Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst
enter under my roof.”
I am always impressed by the
Centurions in the scriptures. They
seem to be just a cut above.
Perhaps this is a Memorial Day moment.
There are prayers the celebrant of
the Holy Eucharist says each time we prepare for the service that are not in
the Book of Common Prayer and are not said so you can hear them:
“Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst
come under my roof, but speak the word only and my soul shall be healed
(strike).” This is repeated three
times. Jerome points this out for
us.
In humility, knowing that we are
not worthy by any thing we have done, we ask the great physician to heal us and
to come to our altar to bless our offering. We do this in steadfast faith.
II.
Sermon Body – The Detail, supported from the Bible, Antiquity, and Reason
A.
First Point – The Glory of God, His Greatness
This is a very important moment in Our Lord’s ministry on earth. What has this pagan Roman officer
done? He has given us the
relationship of the Son, Jesus, to the Father, and the relationship of the Son
to the Holy Ghost. This is the
authority over us. The Son is sent
by the Father and is given the Father’s authority. The Son sends the Holy Ghost and is give Our Lord’s
authority. It is the Trinity. It is a God of Love.
And even more importantly for us to understand is that God is
the only Authority. All else is
below our God: nations,
governments, councils, or even myself.
My faith is always under the authority of God. Always!
We all have other authorities we are under. Our government sets laws as baselines
for our protection and societal order.
My wife sets the authority in our home. My Bishop grants me the authority to act as a priest. And in God we have the authority of our
faith.
In 1 Kings we heard today:
“He said, ‘O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God
like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast
love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart.’” We are servants!
There truly is no God like ours. We are so blessed that God is of love,
or should I say love is God.
B.
Second Point – Our Iniquity, The Undeserving
Let us recall what we heard in Galatians today: “Am I now seeking human
approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still
pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” God is THE authority in my faith.
Here are a few questions, and my short answers, that I get asked
again and again:
Do you really believe in God and that God is a Trinity? YES!
Do you really believe that your God is the only power and
glory? YES!
Do you really believe you are not worthy of salvation? YES!
Do you really believe in the Real Presence? YES!
I don’t keep a faith to please people. I am pleased to keep a faith with others, like your selves,
and I do it for Him.
C.
Third Point – The Thanksgiving, Mercy Given
Today we celebrate the Holy Day of Corpus Christi. It is also known as,
the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a time to share our belief in the
“Real Presence.”
Allow me to read from 1
Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood
of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of
Christ?”
Queen Elizabeth I (or some say John Doane) wrote a snappy little poem to
guide us in our faith in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist:
"Twas God the Word that
spake it,
He took the Bread and brake it:
and what that Word did make it,
That I believe and take it."
And as we heard in the Psalm
today: “Ascribe to
the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.”
III.
Conclusion – Reiterate the Sermon Points
Faith under authority:
I can live with that. If,
in my free will, I give my love and heart to God, accepting His authority,
seeking His salvation, I will come to know His gift, His greatness and power,
His life everlasting. Amen. AMEN.
The sentence from the
Gospel of the Day is reread.
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and
turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in
Israel have I found such faith."
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 Corinthians 13:14.
The Sermon is concluded.
In Christ's love, Fr. Robert Pax
