Depth (midweek message)

Depth

Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message

April 24, 2019

“The church is like a swimming pool. Most of the noise

comes from the shallow end.”

― Bishop John Shelby Spong, Eternal Life: A New Vision:

Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell

During the Great Fifty Days of Easter, we are called to reflect on the resurrection of our Lord, and relate it to our day-to-day lives, and find ways of helping others into its light.   In a word, Jesus wants us to sink our roots deeply into the ground of his risen life, be nourished by it, and send out branches and bear fruit.  This depth in the risen life of Jesus, this participation in his cross, passion, and resurrection, brings us newness of life:  new ways of thinking, feeling, acting, and relating with others. 

Depth in Jesus means more listening and less talking.  It means more service and less trying to convince others.  It means focusing on pulling the beam out of our own eye and losing track of the speck in the eye of another.  It means working for the Reign of God and getting out of its way.  It means contemplation and not holding forth.  It means love.  For if it isn’t about love, it isn’t about Jesus. 

It means engaging with others, not avoiding difficult conversations just because they make us or others uncomfortable.  But engaging does not mean chattering or browbeating.  It largely means listening, really listening. 

We are spirits living in the material world.  We are resurrection people continuing to live in a broken, dying world.  It is at time hard to leave the shallow end of the pool.  But in the risen Christ, “all things that were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made” (BCP, p. 280). 

Grace and Peace. 

Fr. Tony+