Sermon for the Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Capitola,

given by Rev. Stu Fitch/December 2, 2007

  The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist welcomes all to worship God and to share

Christ's love in the world.  We are a parish family committed to provide liturgy, Bible study, music, counseling, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults, and to equip all our members for life and for service to other

Sermon

   Today is the beginning of a new Church Year and a good time to make resolutions about our Spiritual growth and deepening. A time to be aware and clean our inner house and  a time to make  peace with ourselves and others. Like New Years' resolutions we¹ll probably start out well with our Advent resolutions,  then fail.  But we are not to judge our failures, that reinforces the negative, rather we are to learn from our failures. And as our Baptism service states, repent and return, that is, start over.  

 

  Father Stu Schlegal's wonderful sermon a month ago got me pondering my values.    Surprisingly what came up for me were the goals of the Oxford Movement, which was started in the early 30¹s by Sam Shoemaker and others.  AA and the Twelve Step program grew out of this movement. I was seven at the time  . My mother became involved in the  Movement  and l shared  the practice of the Movement  to have a Quiet Time every morning and to listen for God¹s word and guidance for that day. This is a practice I have followed ever since, sometimes more faitlhfully than others.    

  The theme of the Oxford Movement was  The Four Absolutes: Absolute Honesty,  Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, Absolute Love.  As a young boy l tried to live up to these  standards.  I failed more than I suceeded , and as I grew I came to understand that the Four Absolutes were absolutely impossible!!!! But following in the 12 Steps, we are called to acknowledge our powerlessness and the need for God¹s help to move towards our goals.   Actually the Four Absolutes  can  serve as a direction, for all of us who are works in progress.   The greatest of these Absolutes is Love, from which the others spring. What we focus on expands in our lives.,  We are called to a path with heart.  

 

  So what¹s this all about?   It¹s about Advent Resolutions for this new Church Year, So for example, my Advent Resolutions are the daily Quiet time  (which is different from daily meditation) and listening. and,  dropping the word Absolute, to strive to  live honestly, with purity of spirit, , unselfishly and with love., which are made more posssible as we  look at each of these further.

  Honesty, first with ones  self. No hiding from our thoughts and emotions. The 4th in the 12 Step program is to make a searching and fearless moral inventory of our self.  Yes, this is me, the me behind  the mask, the role,  the persona  I¹d like others to see.  And a willingnes to share the True Me  through word and Being.  Honest in knowing when not to speak and when to speak Truth  if it needs to be spoken, but always from the heart, and with  acceptance of the others' perceived Truth.  And of course honesty with God, who already knows and the value of true confession. For me this is through my journel writng, which is always an open letter to God. Nothing held back. Insights can be painful but  we need to become aware of our blind spots and unfinished business.  And to share these shortcomings with another.  The aim is to let go of any blocks  to our heart---honesty   

  Next is purity. So often we think of this as having to do wth sexual feelings and actions, but there is far more to it.  Eugene Peterson¹s  interpretation of Scripture is "Blessed are the pure in heart when they get their inside world, mind and heart, put right. Then they can see God in the outside world." So often we function from our blind spots and project our bias  possitive or negative on others, not really seeing them as they are . Rather we see them through our filters. Awareness of this tendency  helps us put our inside world  right!  The how is spelled out  in Fritz Kunkel¹s book Creation Continues. He sees  the purity to see God as to understand God's dealing with humankind,  as revealed by Jesus: to love, accept, forgive and include.  Also to see  God's purpose in history: to proclaim the Kingdom of peace through our lives.  Kunkel says further: purity lacks inhibition and has the absence of blind spots, that is lack of egocentricity. Purity is courageous and honest, full of love and creativeness.  We are invited to become co-creators with God.  For me it is to continue to work on my own life,  get aware of my blind spots, be willing to change.  Importantly, to see God in all persons, things and situations and to learn from them. No judgments, and to see myself and all others as we truly are---beloved children of God. with whom God is well pleased.     Purity.

  Next is unselfishness.  The ego is our means of relating to others and the world.  but one can easily become ego-centered., not regarding God and others first. We need to surrender to God  the ego  and its patterns and addictions  for healing and release and the discipline to cooperate with the healing and release.   To come from our  God-center.  Awareness tells us when we are being egocentric. but if we don¹t get it,  circumstances and others people will call us on it.   Unselfishness involves letting go, not clinging to or hanging on to ideas of self or others.   No claims or expectations.  Detachment  with love. Realizing what is is and what will be will be. To be willing to give and  willing to receive. I¹m getting a lot of  experience in receiving these days--all of you who help me up and down stairs or hills, carry things for me  or give me a ride or tie my shoes!!.  Or install railings or a grab bar.  I have been  experiencing giving and receiving from strangers every where offering assistence or help. Recently a man, a stranger to us, was walking by stopped and helped us rake leaves in our front yard.  Nan has been giving  the  most.   All these are  examples that love is real.. Unselfishness.

  Which leads us to the 4th Absolute which is Love--both emotional love and allowing it to transend into Agape Love, God¹s love which is unconditional.   Paul Tillich defines this Love as the Power of Being directed toward reuninting. which is  best understood in Jesus.  The power of God in Jesus directed toward the world and each of us individually, for the purpose of reuniting us  to the Truth of our Onenss with God and the Unity of all things. There is One Life running through all things.  Each of us  can direct. the power of our Being  toward others  for the purpose of being in true relationships ,  sharing our lives honestly and deeply, from which springs love,  feelings of empathy and acceptance, true affection and compassion.  We can live lovingly with our differences.   To Love is to grow toward harmony and wholness, and to make peace in the world. beginning right here.    Love.

  So my Advent resolutions are to continue to enter into the silence and to listen, to be honest, pure in heart, unselfish and loving.  And these when lived out assist my spiritual growth and awareness and deepens my releationship with the One, of whom we are all a part .That¹s mine, what will yours be?

  We ring in the New Year with much noise making.  It seems appropriate to ring in our New Christian Year with silence. So let¹s enter into the silence for five minutes  and see what comes up from deep inside  of you about your values and Advent  resolutions for living in the New Christian year.