аЯрЁБс > ўџ 6 8 ўџџџ 5 џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС @ №П О bjbjУ.У. "( ЁD ЁD О џџ џџ џџ N N N N N N N b ъ ъ ъ ъ ў b Ь Ж K M M M M M M $ R д q N н н н q N N Г Г Г н R N N K Г н K Г Г N N Г 03шцоЦ ъ / ^ Г K 0 Ь Г n n Г b b N N N N Г n N 7 v T Г р D $ Й q q b b Ф & Ф b b & Sermon Archive of The Most Rev. John T. Cahoon, Jr.Metropolitan, Anglican Catholic Church Advent III, December 17, 2000 The joyful "Gaudete" Sunday is represented by a rose, also called "Rose Sunday", indicating that the pink candle is to be lighted this Sunday. The word "Advent" means "coming." In the season of Advent we consider the various comings of Jesus Christ. We look at those comings through the lens of the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Two Sundays ago we considered Death. Last Sunday we considered Judgment. Today we shall consider Heaven. We all probably know a good bit more about heaven than we may think we do. In the Lord's Prayer we learn that heaven is the place where God the Father lives, and it is the place where his will is always done-he gets exactly what he wants. From the creeds we know that heaven is also the place where Jesus is sitting down at his Father's right, waiting to come back to earth for the judgment we talked about last week. We know that heaven is away from the earth, because when Jesus went back to heaven he went up. From other parts of the Scriptures we know that heaven is a place where God is being praised and sung to much of the time, that it is like a wedding banquet, and that it is a city, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of the sky at the end of the world. But the most important thing we know is that heaven is the place we want to go in the end. It is pointless to be in church if you don't want to end up in heaven. Heaven is the place where we shall be in the presence of God for eternity. Heaven is the place where God will wipe away all tears from our eyes-where we shall not hunger or thirst, and it won't be too hot. Last week, when we talked about judgment, I suggested to you that one reason we can believe in the judgment that will come at the end of the world is that we see judgment happening now. We can accept the idea that it will happen in a final sort of way at the last day, because we experience it now. Heaven is the same. We can believe in a heaven at the end, because we have experiences of heaven now. Neither of today's lessons talks specifically about heaven, but both of them talk about the kinds of earthly experiences which give us a foretaste of heaven and help focus us upon it. St. Paul was not particularly popular with the Christian congregation in Corinth. He was their bishop. Problems between them arose because people from the congregation loved to keep him posted on what was going on there that was wrong -- flagrant fornication, drunkenness in church, spiritual pride, and factionalism of the most obnoxious variety. St. Paul did not hesitate to write to them to try to set them straight. It should not surprise you that they did not like it very much. In today's epistle tells them that he doesn't care what they think about him. His job is not to be popular with them, but to be faithful to God. He says that he can't think of anything he has done wrong in his ministry toward them, but that it doesn't matter what he thinks, because the only person whose assessment of him matters is the Lord. He cautions the Corinthians not to be so sure that they know enough about everybody else to judge them, because when the Lord comes he is going to make everything clear. He is going to reveal the darkness that is in human beings and what is really going on in their hearts. When that happens, everyone will have the evaluation from God he really deserves. St. Paul is not just advising you to put up with your clergyman whether you like him or not as long as he does what he should. He is saying that you will never be contented in this world until you realize that the only person you need or should want to please is God. God knows all about you. He knows things you don't even know about yourself. If you can't know yourself fully, how can you think you know the whole truth about anyone else? Heaven on earth is looking at yourself as God looks at you. Heaven on earth is realizing that you need to repent and shape up. Heaven on earth is getting Christ's forgiveness in the church. Today's gospel is about John the Baptist and his doubts about Jesus. John baptized in the wilderness, because God told him if he did he would show him who the Messiah was. Later on he called the king an adulterer accurately -- and he was in jail facing death. He wasn't sure Jesus was the one-that it had all been worth it -- so he sent his disciples to find out. Instead of saying, "Of course I'm the one, don't you remember the dove that landed on me when I was baptized?" Jesus says, "If John wants to know if I am the one, tell him what is going on." All the things Jesus said were happening were the things the prophet Isaiah had said would happen when the Messiah finally came: hearings, and the preaching of good news. So experiencing heaven on earth is tied up with recognizing that Jesus is the one. To be in heaven right now is to focus yourself upon Jesus-what he has done for you, what he wants from you, what he promises you. Having a realistic assessment of yourself, and knowing Jesus are two ways to heaven on earth. We believe it will happen later, because we can experience it now. The word "Advent" means "coming." In Advent we consider the various comings of Jesus Christ. We look at those comings through the lens of the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Two Sundays ago we considered Death. Last Sunday we considered Judgment. Today we have considered Heaven. The Collect: O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen. The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4: 1 - 5 The Gospel: St. Matthew 11: 2 - 10 [ e g x y A B у ф C D Г Д о п ќ § X Y q r ѕ і щ ъ _ ` m q s t ёйЫКЌyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyйy hlL0 hlL0 OJ QJ ^J (hlL0 hlL0 0J 6B* OJ QJ ^J ph !hlL0 hlL0 B* OJ QJ ^J ph h!_с hlL0 5OJ QJ ^J !h!_с h!_с B* OJ QJ ^J ph h!_с B* OJ QJ ^J ph .hlL0 hlL0 0J 56B* OJ QJ \^J ph hq| h.A 0J OJ QJ ^J , [ y B ф D Д п § Y r і ъ ` t Н О њ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ ѕ № gd>Ю gdlL0 gd.A О ў t Ѓ М Н О ьлЮьлЮЧ h%_ќ hW|И hlL0 hlL0 OJ QJ ^J !hlL0 hlL0 B* OJ QJ ^J ph %hlL0 hlL0 0J B* OJ QJ ^J ph 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\. X@Ђ . rx E m p h a s i s 6]4 U@Ђ !4 IEQ H y p e r l i n k >*ph џ О ( џџџџ [ y B ф D Д п § Y r і ъ ` t Н Р 0 0 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 0 0 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 x 0 0 0 x 0 x 0 x [ y B ф D Д п § Y r і ъ ` t Н Р Л?0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 @ 0 t О О О џџ щИи d# ъИи lь# ыИи Dч ьИи Dў эИи фk юИи ќ}# яИи Ќь# №Ии ( § § F F Y Y Р M M a a Ѕ Ѕ Р 8 *urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsCity 9 *urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsplace ( . b e & Р 2 3 [ x й п Љ Ћ 9 = І Њ р ш Р 3 3 3 3 3 3 [ Р b e Р Б Ф5 ЉSQ W§ (WS 'х t" 9е zjџ qД Cf '} TС nџ цR 'K {з kі mA ф/g yл 2 j к(Б мdS Nc x Ы ї8 Ч_ m Ч йV ЖEb Х X_л M8 kF = lИ - 5_ О_Ј АЖ п 0 @Ќ pж ќR s ЋQ( Щ Яzs! ъC! РHЯ! Њoо! IK" ЋXс" T## dл$