Time Between Times: Practicing our Faith in times of Conflict

Time Between Times: Practicing our Faith in times of Conflict...

Summary of my Sermon/talk at St. David's Anglican Church in fairfax, CA on Sunday 5/12/13.

Readings: Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 47 Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20 John 17:20-26

Today is not only the Celebration of Mother's Day but in the Christian calendar it is also a celebration of another rather obscure Holy Day- The Seventh Sunday After Easter. Why is this day important? It is because it is the time between times, the interval between Ascencion day a few days ago and Pentecost Sunday next week.

It is a celebration of those many in between times found in Holy Scripture, as well as in our own lives. Such as the Intertestamental times between the prophets of the Old testament and John the Baptist in the New, The night of the Last Supper and the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus, and the First and Second Comings of Christ, and so on. It is in such a context that we find todays readings.

The Gospel reading, from which I draw my primary text, is a portion of Christ's High Priestly Prayer about Oneness and Unity- being One with God as He is One, being One with each other (our community, our neighbor, even love for our enemies), and Oneness with ourselves ("If our eye is Single we shall be full of light but if it is not, how great is that darkness?).

However, this prayer is part of a much larger context, the scene of the Last Supper and another Time between Times, designated as 'between the Two Evenings (Ex. 12.6; Lev. 23.5, Num 9.3-5). It is the time between times of Christs own celebration of the Pascha with his church: "With fervent desire I have desired [epithumia epethumesa] to eat this Passover with you before I suffer...and ...'however, I tell you that I shall not eat of it [again], until it can be administered in the Kingdom of God.'

Most of us may think of this as a very intimate night spent with his disciples where he instituted the chief sacrament of the Christian faith and our primary act of worship- Holy Communion. And such it was. But it was also a time of interpersonal conflict between the disciples arguing who would be the greatest in the kingdom and possibly who would be seated in the place of honor at the table that night. It was the scene of Christ's solemn warning against the "Son of Perdition" who would betray him; and the fortelling of Peter's Denial. It was also a moment of Christ's own "Trouble in Spirit" (Jn 13.21).

Rather than merely chastising and openly rebuking the disciples he simply told Judas to go and do that which he needed to do, gave a New Commandment "that you love one another just as I loved you; and gave words of comfort to his friends-'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me...' prayed for our oneness with the Father; and taking off his outer garments, took a towel and dressed as a slave, washing their dirty feet, showing them by example that the greatest in the kingdom must be the least and must love everyone...

We are not called merely to profess what we believe nor to engage in endless controversies with others over points of doctrine but to Practice our Faith in all the circumstances of life, even in the midst of conflict and betrayals.

Spiritual Practice, not Mental and Theological Assents, is our calling. That is, we are not called to just Proclaim what we believe, but to embody and manifest that belief through our love and oneness with God, others, and even ourselves...

The example was from the reading of Acts where Paul and Silas are put into prison and their feet placed in the stocks. But they found the occassion an opportunity for Spiritual Practice rather than panic, anger or bitterness over their situation. They turned their attentions to God in worship and singing praises to God. The result was that many prisoners and even the jailer and his family came to a place of faith in Christ, because of how they lived out their faith, not because of what they claimed to believe. That came later.

Our call is to Spiritual Practice, in all of life's circumstance. Every situation is an opportunity for spiritual practice. Even our enemies can be our best teachers as they can more than others show us where our triggers and weaknesses are, where we need to the light of Christ to disperse our shadows....