Sermon Sept 29 2019 Feast of St. Michael’s
Make me, O Lord, a child again,
So tender, frail, and small,
In self possessing nothing, and
In thee / possessing all.
O Saviour, make me small once more,
That downward I may grow,
And in this “heart of mine” restore
The faith of long ago.
Make me, O Lord, a child again,
Obedient to thy call,
In self possessing nothing, and
In thee possessing all.
What is the meaning and purpose…of life?
why are we here?
Many struggle with these questions; and sadly, they never find the answer
So Listen UP,
(regardless of your age)
without God
there is no meaning to life;
None.
“Things” and “stuff” are of this world
And actually they are of VERY little value and meaning:
they rust, rot, and fade away as they become unreliable,
and often lead to things contrary to God;
everything
will eventually be left behind.
Our life will end,
And it is sure that you take nothing out of this world;
However;
your being and your life’s purpose
does not have to end.
We have spoken much lately about – – –
Loving and Responding to God, first
and then loving and responding to neighbor;
only then, will you begin to find and realize the meaning of life.
IN 180 AD – I-re-na‘/eus tells us
“For with Him always,
were all things present:
the Word and the Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit,
It was God,
by whom and in whom,
freely and spontaneously,
He made all things.”
Then God proclaimed:
“let Us make man after Our image and Likeness”
Thus created Him in his own image,
male and female created He them.
God then blessed them, and said
be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it:
for this purpose were we created
and as we begin to fulfill our duty and our obligation
Our lives begin to be raised and the purpose of life comes into focus:
Why did God create us?
He did it not for His own sake…
Check out these words written over 1700 years ago as by Lac tan tius:
God “designed the world
for the sake of man, as we subdue it
but He formed “Man”
for “His” own sake.
Man was created to be a divine temple in which God would dwell:
Paul (1Co 3:16&17) tell us:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
God is Holy!
Thus Man, made in His image,
was designed to be Holy…
to be set apart for God and Neighbor…
When God first created the Garden of Eden, Heaven and earth existed together.
Mankind dwelt with God as the garden itself was a form of paradise.
It was God’s intention that Heaven and earth continue together.
Man as A BEING of understanding and intelligence,
capable of reasoning”
is capable of Loving
God and Neighbor”
Jesus came not to be ministered unto to but to Minister
So we are to serve and minister unto God and Neighbor, thus regaining our co-existence with God;
this my friends is our purpose – our meaning!
Today we celebrate God sending of Angels.
Angels are seen THROUGHOUT Scripture.
Angels are used by God to reach out to us
Their purpose is to bring us back to God – as we were in the Garden.
In OT writings; they are inter-me-diates between God and Man
Angels are even within the heavenly courts,
singing praises to God (in the Books Isaiah and Job.)
In the New Testament however; Angels
Announce the Incarnation of Jesus (Matt 1)
His Birth (Lk 2:9)
They mnistered to Christ in the desert (Matt 4:11)
They strengthening Jesus in His agony (Lk 22:43)
And they could have defended Jesus as He was captured (Matt 26:53)
They were the first witnesses of Jesus “Resurrection” in Matt 28:2 and Jn 10:12.
And in the Revelation of St. John the Divine; their worship in heaven
Is a prototype of the worship
of Christ’s Church…
Jesus refers to angels in “today’s Gospel”
as He speaks of “the Children’s angels” in heaven (Matt.)
for precious in the sight of the Lord is the blood of souls and men
Appropriate for this feast day is St. Michael the Archangel as describe as a guardian of the Israelites
“a prince which standeth for the people”
he still today fights against the dark angels of this world.
Now, let us receive His Word
“in innocence as little children”
Let us be open
(remember the word ephphatha just a few weeks ago)…
to be opened – to His word and Church.
Jesus Christ is the revelation of God
Jesus is the Way; to THE Truth; and to a Full LIFE.
It is in Christ
that you will begin to find who you are &
your purpose.
We are told of the
rejoicing in the heavens when one of us return home to God.
So let the Heavens rejoice today
As you return home
determined to live
the meaning of your Life…
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 iv. 23.
