The Sake of Joy

December 3rd, 2023

Scripture

5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.

--Luke 21:5–19

Reflection

Bracing words to begin the year!

In our passage (Luke 21:5–19), our Lord warns his disciples of the cataclysm attending the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He warns, too, of “the cost of discipleship” and of the opposition and persecution which those who follow in the way of the Crucified are bound to suffer in one form or another. “You will be hated by all because of my name,” he says (v. 17). But such opposition is, to the Christian, an opportunity to bear witness to Christ crucified (see vv. 13–15). And an occasion for displaying the loving protection and care of God: “You will be hated by all,” he says, “But not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). Given that Jesus has just warned his disciples that some of them will be put to death (v. 16), this must also be true of the martyrs; “not a hair of their heads will perish,” in the sense that the Lord will preserve their souls (see Wisdom 3:1) and vindicate them in the resurrection. Therefore, they have nothing to fear. As Jesus says elsewhere, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (Luke 12:4). Indeed, they can even rejoice, as the first Christians did, that “they were worthy to suffer dishonor” for the sake of Christ (Acts 5:41, cf. Matthew 5:11-12), because in this way especially their lives are configured to the life of their Master.

“By your endurance (ὑπομονή, hypomone) you will gain your souls,” Jesus says (Luke 21:19). This call to “patient endurance” (hypomene) is the point where the words of Jesus intersect our lives. Our Lord addresses you and me, calling us to faithfulness and steadfastness in our devotion to Christ and his Kingdom. Calling us to put nothing before the love of Christ.

Therefore…let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance (“patient endurance”, hypomone) the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured (hypomeno) the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured (hypomeno) such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. (Heb 12:1–3)

The call to patient endurance is also a central theme for the season of Advent. So, this Advent, let us recommit ourselves unreservedly to the Lord Jesus, offering him our whole selves, souls and bodies. “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness (hypomone) of Christ” (2 Thess 3:5).

The Rev. Christopher Yoder

Rector, All Souls’ OKC

Moved With Compassion

December 2nd, 2023

Scripture

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ 31 The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ 32 Jesus stood still and called them, saying, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ 33 They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

--Matthew 20:29-34 NRSV

Moved with Compassion

When Jesus began his earthly ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth, he read from the scroll of Isaiah and stated that, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free.” The stories of Jesus’ healing are often like the two blind men in todays reading.  They are people who call out to that anointing like the woman with the issue of blood, Zacchaeus, and the centurion and his servant.  Jesus responds with compassion and out of that compassion flows his anointing and healing to both men.  He did not determine whose need was greatest but met the need of both.

We are living in a time of great need.  The sick, the brokenhearted, and the captive are crying out.  We can be overwhelmed until we realize that it is Jesus who meets the needs.  We are called to prayer and intercession for His healing power.  That healing anointing is powerful enough to meet the needs of the world but also our own needs.  He cares about our families and friends who are hurting as well as those in the world.  It is not selfish to ask for healing for those we love and for ourselves while we pray for those who are hurting in the middle east, Ukraine, the Sudan, and our nation. 

We ask for His compassion to flow through us as we pray.  We cry out like the two blind men for his anointing to meet the needs of the brokenhearted, the captives, the blind and sick, and the oppressed.

The Rev. Dr. Gloria Walters

Vicar of St. Luke’s Idabel, St. Mark’s Hugo, and Supply Priest for St. James’ Antlers

The Cross of Advent

December 1st, 2023

Scripture

17 While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and said to them on the way, 18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; 19 then they will hand him over to the gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

--Matthew 20:17-28

Reflection

The season of anticipation. Day by day, we look forward to the celebration to come. It’s an exciting time. Each day, we are closer to the time we can hardly wait for. Of course, it’s been going on for a while—since about the second week of October.

Oh! Did you think I was talking about Advent? I meant the Christmas shopping season.

Advent isn’t very important to many in our culture. If anything, it means the days of December when we open those little cardboard doors and get a piece of chocolate (or, in some cases, a small bottle of fine Scotch whisky). Christmas is the BIG DEAL. We’re getting ready for all the good things to come. As far as Advent goes, many of us just get through it, surrounded by jingle bells and the syrupy voice of Bing Crosby.

The mother of the disciples James and John also wanted to get on the good things to come. This ministry of Jesus, which her sons participated in, was good as far as it went. Jesus’s healing, teaching, occasional conflicts with various opponents—good as far as it went. But something much grander was soon to come: A KINGDOM! With Jesus on a throne, and important roles for those who got in on the ground floor. It wouldn’t hurt to do a little promotion for the boys.

But Jesus reminds them that his earthly ministry is not just some prelude to a glorious golden age to come. He has just told them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests, and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.”

He asks James and John, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They respond confidently, “We are able.” He assures them that they will indeed drink of his cup of rejection and suffering.

Jesus first words to the disciples in this passage about his coming passion and resurrection should be a recurring motif in Advent’s music that sings quietly in our hearts. If we don’t hold his death and resurrection at the center of the season, it’s just a few weeks in December. If we wait only to celebrate the Christ Child and a joyful time with family and friends, and don’t turn our eyes to the dying God on the cross and to mighty Risen One, we have lost an opportunity to deepen Jesus’s blessing on our lives.

As Madeleine L’Engle wrote:

We cannot wait until the world is sane

to raise our songs with joyful voice,

for to share our grief, to touch our pain,

He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice.

The Rev. John Borrego

Retired Clergy, Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma