Summer Sonshine 1- The Good LIght of God - Block Island Times

Posted: 26 Jul 2019 12:00 AM PDT

1 We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— ³we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴We are writing these things so that our^[^a^] joy may be complete.

God Is Light

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

MESSAGE:

Today we begin a new worship theme for the season. We're calling it Summer SONshine (that's "S-O-N Shine") What I hope to do with you over the next couple of months is various ways in which the light of God can illuminate our lives and lead us to a fuller experience of God's truth as we trust the Lord to bring about enlightenment. I also hope that we will use this time as an opportunity to trust God to reveal to us any areas of our lives as individuals and as a church where we may need to look for growth or change.

Now As I began to reflect on different aspects of light, I was reminded of the deep theological question:

HOW MANY BAPTISTS does it take to change a light bulb?

Change? Who said anything about change?

But we aren't the only church on the island that needs more light in our lives-

Do you know HOW MANY CATHOLICS does it take to change a light bulb?

None. They still use candles.

Dare I ask: How many Episcopalians does it take?

Two. One to change to bulb, one to pour the wine while they discuss the best way to go about it.

And finally, do you know HOW MANY MEMBERS OF A CHURCH THAT IS OVER 200 YEARS OLD it takes to change a light bulb?

TEN. One to actually change the bulb, and nine others to say how much they really liked the old one.

Our opening meditation says that when God, the author of all things created light, he said that it was good. We only need to think about the contrast between light and darkness for a moment to be reminded of just how true this is.

Ever since prehistoric times, darkness has been a source of fear, danger, or uncertainty. Can you imagine the profound ways in which the lives of our earliest ancestors were effected when they discovered how to harness the power of fire and of light? The discovery of fire in the Stone Age, or, more precisely, the controlled use of fire, was one of humankind's first and greatest innovations. Fire allows us to produce light and heat, to cook plants and animals, to clear forests for planting, to heat-treat stone for making stone tools, to keep predator animals away, and to bake clay for ceramic pots and other objects. It has social purposes as well. Fires also served as gathering places, as beacons for those away from camp, and as spaces for special activities. Fire and light brought warmth and protection, new ways to prepare food for basic sustenance, and even increased opportunities for community to develop around the light of a campfire even after the sun had set and darkness had descended and night had come. Can you imagine the many ways in which their lives were transformed? Can you imagine the joy and gladness of heart that resulted? This is the type of impact that the apostle John was striving to express when he spoke about the life and light of God. He wrote that the ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^[^b^]In this light was the life of all humankind, and he went on to say, We are writing these things so that our^[^a^] joy may be complete.

In so many ways similar to the blessings that physical light brought to our ancestors, the light of God brings life and blessings to all who seek him.

The light of God is good. It comes to us in many different ways: through the Scripture, through God's presence, through prayer, good works, and through our relationships with others. My hope is that we will discover in the days ahead, that as we earnestly strive to let this light shine into our lives in every-increasing ways, we will experience a fullness of joy in our hearts that causes them to overflow with goodness.

Light is bright, almost by definition, and sometimes it is too much for us. We go to the beach on a perfectly sunny day, and we cover up because the sunlight is too intense – we lather up with sunscreen, put our dark glasses on, and put on cover-ups as soon as we get out of the water so we don't get burned. Light is used as a metaphor for many things in the Bible, first and foremost to describe the presence and essence of God. The Scriptures tell us that Lord dwells in unapproachable light. Moses hid behind a rock when God first appeared to him at the burning bush so that the glory of the Lord wouldn't overwhelm him. When The prophets of old received their revelations and got a glimpse of God that said things like:, "Whoa, how am I still even alive ,because I am an unholy man and my eyes have seen the glory of a perfectly holy God! Malachi the last prophet recorded in the Old Testament exclaimed who can stand before the presence of God, because his light is like a refiner's fire, burning away everything that is not good.

This is our experience as well. If we are honest with ourselves, Sometimes we are more comfortable living outside of the direct Son light of Jesus and his truth. The light of God is too bright, sometimes, for our comfort. Sometimes if reveals things to us about ourselves and the world around us that we would rather not see. So, We prefer to chill in the shade safe under our beach umbrellas, with our pina coladas and our sunglasses on. The light reveals our flaws, or our pet sins, or our shady behaviors that we would rather not examine to closely lest we be convicted of them and convinced that it is time to change some of them. But if we linger outside of the light too long, we can fool ourselves, in our second reading the apostle John doesn't mince words, he says we say that we walk in the light but still live in the darkness we lie to ourselves and the truth is not in us. Here is a great danger to the Christian who would walk in the light. Denial and self-deception can tell us that our lives are ok the way that they are, that we're reasonably happy, that we are getting by just fine. But This type of thinking is precisely what keeps us in the dark, settling for less than the abundant life that the Lord wants each of us to experience by living fully in His light.

John says, you and I know better. We have experienced God's light, and we know that it is good. God's truth and life have been revealed to us: we have heard about it, we have seen with our eyes, we have looked at it and touched with our own hands, and we know the fullness that it promises. But to experience that fulness we need to examine ourselves regularly, to take personal inventory and admit to God areas of our lives that are not right with Him, and then ask Him to let his light shine in and show us a better way. This is the simplicity of confession, and with it comes a freedom to experience all the joy and abundance that living our lives in the light of God can bring. This can be our spiritual Independence Day: free from darkness that diminishes us, and at liberty to fully follow Jesus and walk in his life.

I think that Our lives can be like a bag lunch or a banquet feast - it's up to us to decide what we really want. Bologna and cheese on white bread with chips is basic nourishment that will keep us going, no question about it. But wouldn't you rather go to the Steak Fry at the Firehouse?! That was an amazing meal, wasn't it! But it took an effort to get there- we had to fight our way through the crowds, maybe walk halfway across town in the heat, and it cost more for that meal, but wasn't it worth it? God wants us to have the banquet – the Lord wants us to have more than we sometimes settle for-

Can you imagine more for your life?

John Lennon's iconic song "Imagine" raised a protest against the way that religious people, including we Christians, have fallen short of living as light in this world. He sang, "Imagine there's no heaven; its easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky." I think he wrote that song because he didn't see enough of God's light shining through the religious people in this world. And so we need to ask ourselves, as followers of Jesus, does the way that we live our lives diminish the light in the world, or does it cause it to shine more brightly.

When we use the word 'imagine' in English, it often connotes something that's not really real. So we say: "Oh, that's just your imagination; you're imagining that." By contrast, when God inspires our imaginations, it is an invitation to experience more of God's light, to give ourselves more and more to the Lord and His ways, to become a part of the way that God moves our imaginations to reality. Imagine you are a child again, sitting on your heavenly Father's lap. As you look up into God's face, his countenance shines upon you, and when you get up your face is shining as well. Take that glow with you out into the world for others to see.

A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you

put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the man of God

answered, "I don't put anything on it!" His questioner began to lose

patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do!" All of you who believe

in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in the towns of Agra and

Surat, and even in the city of Bombay." Suddenly the Christian

understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, "Now I know what

you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It's not something we put

on from the outside but something that comes from within. It's the

reflection of the light of God in our hearts.

My hope and prayer for us this summer is that we will increasingly walk in the good light of God. That we will allow the Lord to reveal to us ways in which we can change for the better, that we can walk in freedom apart from the darkness of sin. My prayer is that as a result others will see the light of God shining in and through us. And may we all experience more of the fullness of joy of the Lord that living in the good light of God can bring.

Catholic Belief in Eucharist Helped by Fellowship, Beauty of Worship, says Ordinariate Bishop - National Catholic Register

Posted: 16 Aug 2019 08:13 PM PDT

Bishop Steven Lopes of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter website)

Catholic Belief in Eucharist Helped by Fellowship, Beauty of Worship, says Ordinariate Bishop

Bishop Steven Lopes of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter told the Register that Catholics need more than catechesis: they need experiences of Jesus's real presence in the Mass and through fellowship with the members of Christ's body.

HOUSTON – What do Catholics need to believe that Jesus Christ is really present in the Holy Eucharist? While some say better catechesis is needed, the bishop of North America's youngest diocese says Catholics need to experience the real presence of Jesus through worship and fellowship in the beauty of holiness.

Bishop Steven Lopes, a former official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, leads the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a Catholic diocese with Anglican traditions for North America created by Benedict XVI in 2012 under the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. The Ordinariate has more than 40 Catholic parish communities throughout the U.S. and Canada, which emphasize both worship and fellowship in parish life as key to following Jesus Christ.

In this interview with the Register, Bishop Lopes discusses how the theology of fellowship draws from union with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, brings Catholics deeper into the Eucharist, and gives vitality to Catholic discipleship and evangelization.

Bishop Lopes, Pew has come out with a new survey about Catholics and the Eucharist, whether the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. One of the interesting things about the survey is that it links Catholic belief in the Real Presence with regular weekly attendance at Mass. If they were not regularly at Mass, most Catholics think the Eucharist is a symbol. But is greater catechesis going to address the issue, if the people who need to hear it are not going in the first place? How do people understand what the Eucharist means for parish or church life?

I am sympathetic with the idea that we need better and more effective catechesis. I remember the catechesis before the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and catechesis after the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. So in other words, the resources are there, the catechesis is there. The catechesis today is in really much better shape. So there's a "yes, but …" if you will, when I hear "well, we need better catechesis." Well yes, but we can't make it an intellectual thing alone. Because God and Christ's gift of himself in the Eucharist is not an idea. It's not an idea to be captured by the mind. It is a true self-gift. It is a personal gift of Christ to his Church, to the soul of the believer.

And therefore, as a personal gift, it has to be understood and received as a real person, which involves so many more aspects of the person rather than the mind. So worship – "the worship of God in the beauty of holiness," as we say in the Psalms, has to involve the whole person. It has to capture all of the senses: sight, and smell and touch and even taste. That beauty in worship takes the faith in the real presence and makes it experienced; it makes it something that can be experienced. So the Ordinariate's accent on beauty in worship — they all say we take worship very seriously and we do because it's a very serious thing — it is the appearance of God on Earth, and receiving the gift of Christ's self-gift is a tremendous thing.

Now in the experience of many Catholics, once Mass is done, there's a general stampede out to the parking lot. Is that really the Church's real vision for Catholic worship: we've had this individualistic experience of the Eucharist, so now it's time for us all to get out of here?

It's the appropriation of a more Protestant "me and my Jesus thing" whereas the Catholic understanding has put equal accents on the seriousness of worship and the seriousness of fellowship. Again, another thing that's true about the Ordinariate is that there's a real emphasis on spending time together, not just getting to Mass and then going home. A lot of Ordinariate parishes will have a very serious fellowship, not just "here, there's a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam thing," but several of our parishes try to do lunch every Sunday. Several of our parishes do a really big reception after Evensong [Evening Prayer] or something like that. Because if what happens at Mass is that the Holy Spirit descends and is called down upon the altar to transform what it touches into the Body of Christ.

And that's true of the bread and wine: that through the operation and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are transformed into the body of Christ. Well, that same Holy Spirit is called down upon the church and the Holy Spirit does, if you will, the same thing. It transforms that assemblage of people into the body of Christ. So it's the same action of grace that is transformative in the Eucharist, in Mass, where we start to recognize each other, not as strangers, not as individuals who have nothing to do with my life, but as members of the same body. Again, the Church isn't an idea. It is something that is brought about by the Holy Spirit in the self-giving of Christ to the Father in the Mass. This is what happens at Mass. And so to celebrate Mass means of course to reverently receive the Eucharist, but also reverently to receive your neighbor as members of the same body of the church. So the worship fellowship dynamic goes hand in hand.

So then parish fellowship after Mass is intimately connected with Holy Communion, with our Eucharistic worship?

Right. Absolutely. It flows from [the Eucharist], and then it leads back to. So [parish fellowship] flows from [the Eucharist] in that it's only in the Mass – because otherwise, otherwise church is just the gathering of like-minded individuals, who may or may not enjoy each other's company. Well, that's a sociological thing. That's the Elks Club. And we do that in the Church, but it's called the Knights of Columbus or the St. Martha's Guild or something like this. But no, this is deeper. This is more. This is actually the operation of grace in what God is doing. So fellowship begins by recognizing your fundamental identity as brothers and sisters in Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit. And then that fellowship leads you back. So it begins in the Eucharist, and it leads you back to the Eucharist. Because once you're interacting with your brothers and sisters in Christ, you're going to be more aware of their needs, more aware of the human brokenness and relationships and what not. And then out of love for them, of course, when you go back to Mass, you're bringing their prayers, their intentions and your concern for them. And then it informs your prayer; these are the things we pray for at Mass.

How then would you say that this experience of parish fellowship, following the Eucharist, relates to evangelization and the proposal of the Gospel?

Well, I think it relates very directly, honestly, to the largest driver of people who stopped going to church. We call it people who "leave the church." Well, almost to my mind, to say that someone "leaves the church" involves an active intention. Most people just "stopped going." For them, it's not ever like "I left the church" or "I stopped being Catholic." And you might go to Mass on Christmas, or you might go to Mass on Easter, or to get your palm on Palm Sunday or something like this. But you're not practicing your faith regularly. The biggest driver of that is the feeling of anonymity, the feeling of "that if it doesn't matter if I'm there, then it doesn't matter if I'm not there."

As we look at this, of course, not being in church to hear the gospel or to be catechized, is a great way to lose contact with the faith, which seems to be what Pew is indicating. Now drawing on own experience and what you've seen happen in the Ordinariate, what are ways that parishes can maybe revitalize a theology of fellowship and gear it toward an evangelization that invites people back into the church?

I think the largest challenge in Catholic life across the board, outside of the Ordinariate, is simply the size of parishes. Ordinariate communities are smaller, but that's not just a circumstance, that's not happenstance. We would be intentional about that. The Ordinariate, even in places where we would have larger parishes like in Houston and Baltimore, well now we have three parishes in Houston and three parishes in Baltimore. Why? Because you need to manage that [size] somehow. And larger parishes have to be a lot more creative on how they form that sense of intentional community and intentional discipleship around the Mass. And parishes who have taken on that challenge directly through prayer groups, through social groups, through various initiatives of the parish, have reaped the benefits of it. They're not experiencing the same kind of bleed as other parishes, mega-parishes are.

Is it because a person can say "I can see my identity here in this parish. I'm not an anonymous person?"

Exactly: "I am a member of this parish. And even just by my presence, it contributes something."

You mentioned intentional discipleship. What is the relationship of fellowship then to discipleship?

I think it's naive and perhaps overly clerical to think that it's going to be the priest who awakens in you the sense of where you can serve the community. That somehow volunteerism, that somehow participation in the life of the parish only happens if the pastor invites you to do something. That doesn't work. Where you learn not only what the needs are, but where your particular gifts and talents could be leveraged — that's not quite the right word — but leveraged is in fellowship with your fellow Catholics. They're going to tell you; they're going to invite you, and because there's that sense of "we're all in this together." That's what intentional discipleship means: we're all in this together, and so therefore take responsibility with each other.

Because if you're waiting for the priest to ask you, you might be waiting a while. Because he's too stretched. In most places he's got 10,000 other things and 10,000 other people.

Where would you say clergy begin to empower their people to live this vision. Should they have a "catechesis of the coffee hour?"

That's a broad question and there's no one answer. I mean there's thousands of initiatives, but also it just always can't be the priest himself. There has to be other lay leadership in the parish, deacons and laypeople in the parish, who really kind of take responsibility and come up with initiatives. Because what's going to work for you — like a Theology on Tap, or catechesis between Masses or adult forum — what's going work for you is going to drive me crazy. But this other thing over here is going to work for me. So it's about understanding the variety of needs and addressing them in various ways. There's not just one answer.

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