аЯрЁБс > ўџ 3 5 ўџџџ 2 џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС @ №П х bjbjУ.У. "$ ЁD ЁD х џџ џџ џџ N N N N N N N b * * * * 6 b Ж N N N N N N N N $ < R + N Ы N N Ы Ы + N N N N @ M M M Ы : N N N N M Ы M M N N M N B Р8уезЦ * . M V 0 M ( 3 ( M b b N N N N M а ( N ш N 0 ~ " M М N N N + + b b ф F ф C b b F Sermon Archive of The Most Rev. John T. Cahoon, Jr.Metropolitan, Anglican Catholic Church TRINITY XVII, October 15, 2000 Our Wednesday Bible classes have been working on two separate gospels this fall. The morning class is reading St. John, and the evening class is reading St. Luke. Even though those two gospels differ in many ways, they share, not surprisingly, some common themes. One of the themes they share is the question of what Saturday is all about. The creation story in the book of Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then on the seventh day he sat down and put his feet up. The Ten Commandments take that fact and turn it into a law. The law reads "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day." "Holy" means "separate." The law commands that nobody do any work on the seventh day of the week because, "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it." Notice that the commandment doesn't say anything at all about going to church or refraining from playing baseball or from buying scotch on the Sabbath. The fundamental purpose of the fourth commandment is to tell us to get some rest. The human machine will not work properly unless it takes at least one day in seven off. Even God rested on the seventh day. People who pride themselves on being workaholics or who boast that they never take a vacation or a day off are mired in the same sort of mortal sin that thieves and killers and adulterers are. By the time of Jesus' earthly ministry the people in Judaism who were obsessed with rule-following had turned the day of rest into a nightmare. The rabbis had concocted a list of 153 rules which spelled out what constituted breaking the Sabbath commandment. Instead of being a day to relax and enjoy the fruits of six days of work, Saturday became a day people spent being paranoid about breaking one of the rules. That was not the sort of take on religionand certainly not on the commandmentsthat Jesus approved of. One can read through the gospels and conclude that Jesus hid out for six days and only came out on Saturday to do his miracles so he could antagonize the scribes and the Pharisees and engage them in arguments about what the Sabbath day was all about. In today's gospel a Pharisee has invited Jesus to his house for a Saturday meal. Probably not by coincidence there is a man there who is suffering from dropsyedemawater retention. Jesus senses that he has been set up, so he asks the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" They don't say anything back to him, both because they didn't want to give him any help and because the rabbinical tradition would have allowed one to answer the question either way. Jesus heals the man, and then he exposes the hypocrisy of his enemies by saying, "If any of you had one of your prize animals fall into a ditch on a Saturday, you'd pull him out wouldn't you?" The implication is clear. If it is proper to help an animal on a Saturday (and Jesus surely thought it was), then why isn't it proper to heal a human being on a Saturday? In another place Jesus says, "The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath." Or, in other words, "I wrote the rules, and I will tell you how to apply them. Jesus places being helpful to other people ahead of any niggling regulations that might keep one from being helpful. He attacks his law-abiding critics further as he watches them grabbing for the best seats at the dinner table. The best seats are the one closest to the host, rather than nearest the wine bottle or the TV remote control. Jesus says, "It is bad strategy to try to get the best seat. When you go into a dining room (one, obviously, without place cards), take the least attractive seat. If you are supposed to have a better seat you will be asked to come up higher. That will be a public compliment to you, and you will also look humble in front of your fellow dinner guests. If you are supposed to have a lower seat, you won't look silly for having taken one. But if you take a higher seat and then are asked to move down below the salt, you will be revealed to all who are watching as a pushy, but clumsy, self-seeker. Jesus is not just being Mr. Manners. He is attacking the pretension of anyonelawyer, Pharisee, self-righteous Christian, pious Anglican Catholicanyone who thinks he has it made with God and can presume on God's good nature. Jesus reminds us that God loves us. But that does not mean we have some sort of special in with him that will protect us from tragedy or embarrassment. We must remain humble before Godgrateful to him for saving us and loving us but always mindful of the fact that we do not deserve any of the good things he showers upon us. If we can remain in an attitude of patient and humble receptivity before God, we will be more ready to receive all the good things he wants to give us. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exaltedand not only on Saturday. The Collect: Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen The Epistle: Ephesians 4: 1 - 21 The Gospel: St. Luke 14: 1- 11 [ g y z Э Ю В Г E F * + Щ Ъ , - у ф } ~ h i Ш Щ Н О 8 9 ї ј Ђ Ѓ Ў Ф Х Я у ф х ёнЬПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎПЎП h%_ќ hW|И %h*Щ h*Щ 0J B* OJ QJ ^J ph %h*Щ h*Щ 0J B* OJ QJ ^J ph !h*Щ h*Щ B* OJ QJ ^J ph h*Щ h*Щ OJ QJ ^J !h*Щ h*Щ B*OJ QJ ^J ph 'h*Щ h*Щ 5B*OJ QJ \^J ph hq| h.A 0J OJ QJ ^J 1 [ z Ю Г F + Ъ - ф ~ i Щ О 9 ј Ѓ Х ф х њ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ № gdt' gd*Щ gd.A х ў 1hАа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %А @ @ёџ @ N o r m a l CJ _HaJ mH sH tH F @ B F tђ H e a d i n g 4 Єd Єd @&[$\$ 5\ D A@ђџЁ D D e f a u l t P a r a g r a p h F o n t R i@ѓџГ R T a b l e N o r m a l і 4ж l 4ж aі ( k@єџС ( N o L i s t B ^@ ђ B ц N o r m a l ( W e b ) Єd Єd [$\$ * W@Ђ * ц S t r o n g 5\. 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