Standing Under the Scriptures
November 22, 2009

Dear Fellow Voyagers,

Our readings for this Sunday are:

Revelation 1.1-8: The struggles recounted in this book, which opens with these verses, may be viewed as reflecting the intensity of the contest between the early church and the Roman Empire.

John 18.31-38: In his account of the encounter between Pilate and Jesus, John portrays them as embodying, respectively, the things of this world and the kingdom of God.

As I have said previously, I had long planned that, should I have occasion to preach at All Saints’ Sunday services, I would have our class discuss the appointed readings beforehand and then draw on the discussion in my sermon. My plan has now come to fruition. We discussed the readings for this past Sunday, from Hebrews and Mark, before I left on my trip to England. And now I have preached on them, taking account in at least some fashion of the class discussion. The text of my sermon is attached, in lieu of the usual report of our class discussion.

A couple of notes on it are in order. Its second paragraph, which I did not include at the 8 and 9 o’clock services, concerns the baptism of three-month old Eva Batlle, which took place at 11 o’clock. Eva’s story is this. She was born with two major arteries, taking blood from her heart and bringing blood to it, switched. So she was whisked off to Children’s’ Hospital within minutes of her birth, for the performance of the reparative surgery. The surgery, despite her neonatality, was fully successful. But it was two weeks before her parents could take her home. Thus they have a special basis for understanding baptism as signifying also the need to let go of the child, to entrust her or him to God.

Also warranting some elucidation is the sermon’s reference to St. Luke’s Anglican Church, La Crescenta, California, and its display of one of the verses from our Hebrews reading: “You joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property. St. Luke’s left The Episcopal Church in 2006 on account of what it saw as the latter’s unbiblical decisions. In response the diocese of Los Angeles, in which it was located, sued it for its property. And the courts, despite the congregation having paid for its property, awarded it to the diocese.

Two things are to be noted in connection their display of the Hebrews verse, which was as they were vacating their building and other property pursuant to court order. One is that it accords with the basic purpose of our class, as I have articulated it. This is so to imbue us with the Scriptures that appropriate images or verses arise spontaneously in our minds as various exigencies confront us. Thereby we are given a basis for surmounting them that otherwise we would lack. Evidently this is what was involved at St. Luke’s.

The other thing to note is the affinity between the “joyful” acceptance of the confiscation of their property, by the St. Luke’s parishioners as also by the addressees of Hebrews, and a frequent happening in the early church under Roman persecution. On being accused of being Christians, its members would be brought before the Roman magistrates. On their confessing their faith they would be sentenced to death, in accordance with the judicial principle, Non licit esse vos: It is not lawful to be a Christian. And on receiving their death sentences their regular response was Deo gratias: thanks be to God.

Our class will meet as usual this Sunday. Please let me have your comments on, criticisms of, and objections to the sermon. I look forward to seeing you there.

Faithfully, Fr. Ted