THE SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY

May 16, 2010

St. Augustine Anglican Church

“Whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”

The Rev. Gerald Parks +

          The story of the Christian Church, from its founding down to the present day, is one of change.  We are told that in the earliest of times the Church celebrated the whole fifty days between Easter and Pentecost, including commemorations of the Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, and the coming of the Spirit, all together.  Only in the fourth century did the idea develop of separating the several events of our Lord’s redemptive act with distinct celebrations.  Thus, we see the institution of Ascension Day, known as Holy Thursday in old English custom, in the latter part of the fourth century, by the church at Jerusalem, from where it spread to the whole Church, East and West.

          Such changes seem inevitable to an organization growing into worldwide proportions, but they were only cosmetic changes then that may have affected the practice of religion, but were not intended to change the basic faith or beliefs of the faithful.  The Church through all the ages has had only one message to tell: a message so powerful in its story of hope and redemption that people of all races and times have embraced it even when to do so meant persecution and (sometimes) death.  Our Lord told us of such times when He said, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)

          No matter what was done to intimidate its people, though, the Church survived and prospered.  And it did that for one reason and one reason only: the strength of the message of Christ was so compelling that nothing and no one could stand against it.

          One of the greatest changes to happen in the early Church was the emergence of houses of worship.  Worshipping in peoples’ homes, or in caves and grottos, was fine, even desirable for a church hiding in fear for its life.  But that all changed over time as attitudes and laws changed, and the Church came forth from its secret and anonymous existence to become a visible and vibrant part of society.  Church buildings emerged and, by being unified and intensely motivated by the “good news” of Jesus Christ, early Christians changed the society of their time rather than being changed by it.  The world had thought they were doing “God service” by killing the Christians, as our Lord predicted, but persecution proved that terror, intimidation and murder are no match for the Truth of God when it is in the hearts and minds of His people.

          In the modern world Christians live in a time when houses of worship are the norm and not the exception; and such places can be a great source of comfort.  Every time I enter this building, I am reminded of the sacrifice and love of this congregation in making it a reality.  The very real presence of God can be felt here, and the awareness of His participation and triumph in our effort is ever here.  Houses of worship though can also become a source of prideful arrogance if the message being preached and believed there is based on false teachings, and the people deceived.  A building so used then becomes the symbol and reality of error and sin.

          In the Second Epistle General of St. Peter, we read, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them; and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:1-2)  Peter was writing of his own time, of course, but it almost seems as though he could see the future. “Pernicious ways” and “damnable heresies” are every bit as numerous and damaging to the Church today as they were then, perhaps more so, as we all know. And God’s “way of truth” is often “evil spoken of.”

          As we said, persecutions of Christians gradually, if not totally, came to an end in the ancient world.  The Church prospered, as Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.  But the battle against heresy was not won, and it continues its “pernicious ways” to the present.  In many ways heresy – then and now – is a kind of persecution of Christians; it doesn’t threaten our physical safety, but it can and does threaten our faith, and puts in jeopardy our eternal souls.  Heresy rips at the fabric our faith, giving ashes instead of hope by replacing God’s Truth with devilish lies.  By its very definition, there can be only one Truth that is true, not many.  Heresies may sound like the Truth, may even be more reasonable sounding and acceptable than the Truth.  But the Truth comes from God, while heresies are the inventions of man.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)  But heresy (and this is the most “damnable heresy” of them all) would have us believe that Jesus is only one way among many ways to find God.  We can’t have it both ways; Jesus is the Son of God or He isn’t.  And if we believe He is as He said, then all else is really just dangerous nonsense.

          “There is one body,” St. Paul wrote, “and one Spirit, even as ye are called in the hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph. 4:4-6)  We know that Christians are not perfect – no man is.  And Christ’s Church is not perfect either; it cannot be since its people are not.  But the Church nonetheless possesses perfection in the Word of God made flesh for us in Christ Jesus.  The jealousy of the devil is such that there will always be those who wish to prevent the perfect Word of God from being heard or believed.  It is Satan’s way to seduce those of weak faith into believing what is profitable to him, but he can only do that with those who are willing to be fooled and freely choose his lies over God’s Truth.

          God does not ask us to be martyrs for our faith, as those early Christians were.  But He does ask us to resist the persecutions of our faith by heresies great and small.  And He does ask us to remain faithful in our every word and deed to His Truth, in solidarity with all the Saints and Martyrs.  Satan only succeeds when we fail to see behind his mask of good will, and freely give him our eternal souls, trusting in his lies for our salvation.

          As we await the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, on Pentecost, let us remember why it is that the world so often goes astray and turns its back on the Truth: in Jesus’ words, “Because they have not known the Father, nor me.” (John 16:3)  It must be the duty of the Church, as it always has been, to make known the Father and His Christ to the world, even in the face of that slowest of all deaths, the deadly apathy which fills the world today.

          May the Holy Spirit of God fill us with His Truth today, and give us His grace to have the courage and the voice to preach it.  Amen.