Sermon April 14, 15, 2001
The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ, Year C PAGE 2
Brother Benedict,
Sermon for The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Our Lord
Year C 2001 PAGE 2
In our study of James F. White's book "The History Of Christian Worship" we have all learned the Church has so much to offer us that Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ hasn't even begun to enjoy such benefits as the daily cycle of readings for daily celebrations of the Word and Sacrament, the daily cycle of readings for the Divine Office, of which there could be as many as eight prayer services every day of the year, so many different topics we could be studying in group study, retreats, Christian AA and Christian NA, community dinners, discussion groups for people of all ages... etc. No, we haven't even begun actually.
The Church keeps me so involved in the life of Christ that often I am accused of not really living in reality, of being aloof to people's problems, people's concerns, of not really listening to people's needs, etc. Actually this is true to an extent. You see, Christ keeps me very busy thinking about what is important to Him, what is important to the Holy Scriptures, and what it takes to draw people into God's plans for their lives. I am convinced that if people would enter deeply into all the Church, Christ present in the world, has to offer, people would be much happier, much more able to pass through the temptations and attempts of Satan to destroy them, etc. Think about it, if you were coming to morning prayer at 6:30 am on the way to work, coming back with your bag lunch for 12:15 noon daily Word and Eucharist service, and coming back at 9:30 pm for evening prayer, and 7:00 pm some nights of the week for various programs wouldn't your life be radically different than it is today? The answer has to be absolutely yes.
I am praying so hard that we will soon have the financial resources to support our pastors full time with facilities for ministry and their residential living so we can offer all these services. Then, I fully believe, we will be able to help many more people on a much more consistent basis to keep their lives in line with God's plans for them.
We shouldn't have one week a year that is a "holy" week, a week separated for God, which is the definition of "holy." We should be a separated people, full of worship, full of study, full of fellowship as we work and live in this world. We need to make this our personal and collective goal. Until we can have the luxury of our own building with full time ministers we need to avail ourselves to every opportunity Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ offers us. We need to be sure we attend every weekday study group, every special worship service, every retreat, and certainly every weekend main liturgy of the Word and Eucharist. If we are serious about spreading the Gospel, we have to be here to experience it and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister it to others.
We are now entering the season of the Resurrection. This isn't a one day celebration named after the goddess Ishtar, easter Sunday... no, this is a way of life and we shall celebrate this aspect, the resurrection and what it means for six weeks, 50 days from now to Pentecost. Let's avail ourselves to every opportunity Christ offers us through His Body, the Church the rest of our lives so we will live differently than those who are enslaved to sin and the world. Let each of us be enslaved to Christ and be citizens of Heaven and wait with joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is Lord for ever and ever Amen.
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Copyright © 2000 Br. Shawn Francis Benedict.
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