Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles. [May 1.]
The Collect.
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ALMIGHTY God, whom truly to know is everlasting life; Grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life; that, following the steps of thy holy Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may stedfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And the Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter which it supersedes.
The Second Sunday after Easter.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The theme of the collect is Steadfast!
In today’s Gospel, taken from the Gospel of Saint John 14:1-4, Philip asks the question which is answered from the biblical truth repeated in our Prayer of Collect for the day: Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? The disciples, though the Lord had been the center of their universe, and they had followed Christ these three years, still had no perfect knowledge of who He truly was. True, they knew Him to be the Son of God, but what did that fully mean in this physical realm in which they followed? Why must He die such an ignominious death on the cross? How could they follow Him thereafter seeing as He would no longer be with them in such a personal way?
Of course, the answer could not be fully comprehended until He had paid the last full measure of devotion for us in shedding His precious blood at Golgotha. And even still, His mighty power to rise from the tomb was unknown until the early morning of the first day of the week following His death and burial. So, what was the way to follow about which Philip inquires? The answer is given by our Lord in Scripture and reiterated here in today’s Collect: O ALMIGHTY God, whom truly to know is everlasting life; Grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life;
How do we truly know Jesus? Do not the devils themselves believe and tremble?
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HOU believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)
Yes, the devils and demons of Satan do, indeed, believe and tremble – but that belief does not result in any change in their nature as demons. They were damned from the moment they were cast down with their Master, the great Red Dragon of Revelations 12:3. A sound knowledge of the Lord will compel our love and commitment to Him and His Way. He is the Way, and knowing Him in a heart-to-heart relationship will result in works of righteousness unlike that of the devils who believe and ignore, and, unfortunately, some professing Christians as well. Even the works we consider righteous are but filthy rags without the component of believing faith: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:20)
How do we follow our crucified Lord? By being true to our profession as Christians; by following Him, not just along the dusty venues of desert and mountain, but also to the Tomb of self, and the resurrection to follow – for HE IS THE WAY! Sheep are social creatures – they congregate together just as the Church must do, but they do so BEHIND the Bishop and Captain of their souls (Jesus Christ). He is the Good Shepherd who knows the Way. We need not wonder where the Way leads just as the trusting sheep never challenge the shepherd concerning direction or destination. We simply follow Him in all His Ways and let the world suffer its own damnation.
This Collect was added to the Prayer Book by Archbishop Cranmer, but the last line was later added by Bishop John Cosin of Durham: we may stedfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. ‘Steadfastly’ is a powerful word. Are we steadfast in following the Good Shepherd, or do we allow our focus to be distracted by the green grass of the diverging trail?
The Collects are a precious treasure of the Church of England as it was established under threat of fire and sword. It consolidates Bible truths to focus our attention on the day’s biblical texts and the sermon to follow. Such a focus is too often absent from other worship services which may lack reverence and dignity required before the Lord our God.
The Sermon
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ET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:1-14)
Where is home to you? Remember that old adage, “Home is where the heart is.” I have heard that from the early days of my life and I have found it reinforced in Holy Writ if we consider our greatest treasure is to be at home – our loved ones and precious memories. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt 6:20-21) We must not forget we are pilgrims upon this earth who seek after a better city, and that city is New Jerusalem.
It is not possible to believe in God whom man has not seen, but not in Christ who is the express image of the Father. Our Lord is represented by the good Samaritans we meet along the avenues of life – in the smile of a little child and the purring of a pet kitten. His Creation itself is testimony of His mercy and grace to us.
The serious believer need not fear a homeless fate when this ancient globe is consumed by fervent heat. The Lord has promised to provide us a mansion. The Greek word for mansion is no a palatial estate with a spiral staircase and steeple tower – it means an abiding place or room. But it will be the provision for all the family of God. He has gone to prepare that place for us even as I speak.
Having lived in Korea, Japan and the Middle East for many years, I am well aware of the family customs of those lands. Just as in the time of the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, families tend to live in multiple family households comprised of sons, daughters, in laws, fathers, mothers, and grandparents. This practice is even incorporated into the marriage customs of Israel before and during the time of Christ. The father usually seeks a prospective wife for his son through the services of a matchmaker. Upon finding a suitable young lady as a candidate, a meeting is arranged at the girl’s home. A glass of wine will be placed on the table between the two family representatives including the boy and girl.
After lengthy discussions, if the boy approves of the betrothal (an engagement with stronger responsibilities than our modern marriages), he will drink from the cup. If the girl agrees with the same, she will likewise drink from that same cup – and the betrothal is sealed. This is much like our betrothal to Christ. He has counseled Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: (Matt 20:23) We do indeed drink from the same cup as our Lord symbolized in our Communion service. Our betrothal thereby is sealed with our baptism.
After the betrothal meeting, the son leaves with the father to prepare a living place among the family apartments for the prospective bride in the same way that our Lord has gone to prepare a place for us. There is much more to this marriage custom than I will recount today, but I want you to note the consistent symbolism spread throughout Scripture. Christ is preparing a place for us among the Father’s apartments for us and all others who know and love the Son. We are all family and will share quarters in the same estates with the Father and the Son.
This text, and adjacent chapters, are darkened by the approaching shadow of the cross.
Though He has spoken in great detail of His coming sacrifice, the disciples can scarcely grasp the depth of meaning. Many Christians today likewise seem unable to comprehend the great sacrifice our Lord made in our redemption. That sacrifice is very lightly taken by many to the detriment of their souls. A shiny, gold cross around the neck is not evidence of true faith. The wearer may be a very committed Christian, or the cross may simply be an ornament of boasting. The cross upon which our Lord bled and died was not a shiny, gold cross, but a horrid and crude wooden cross.
Have you considered that mercy and grace on the part of both Father and Son in the purchase of our redemption? You must know that it was not merely the Jewish rulers and Roman cohort that crucified Christ – it was all of us, all of mankind whose sins deserve precisely the kind of death our Lord, an innocent and righteous man, died in our stead.
The Way was not clear to the disciples in the pre-resurrection Christ, but on the morning of that first Easter, it became starkly clear. He truly is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. The LIFE He offers is the only life that is real and eternal.
Imagine the hordes of previously skeptical sinners of the old world who hurried to the place of the Ark of Noah as the fountains of the deep were broken up and the rains poured down in torrents. God had closed the door of the Ark – not Noah – to all except those whom He invited to come into the Ark.
The Way is clear today and the Ark of Jesus Christ awaits your coming. Do you stand without and jest and smirk at those who enter in? Soon, at the last trump, God will bring the curtain of time to an end. Where will you stand then – within the Ark of Christ, or without?
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. (Matt 16:4)
My advice: stop seeking signs and look to Christ and follow in His WAY.
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