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Why Did Jesus Have To Die?- Palm Sunday - Fr. Michael Flowers 01.25.24 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC
The first five minutes were lost in the recording. The notes are below: Today, the 5th Sunday of Lent marks the beginning of Passiontide, a two-week period commemorating Jesus’ suffering and death, leading us to Holy Week. Today is also the Feast Day of St. Patrick, that 5th Century British Saint who became the Apostle of Ireland. Though in America, St. Patrick’s Day has become a celebration of Irish culture, the Church commemorates the eternal significance of his life. Let’s turn our attention to Passiontide: John, 12:20-33. The setting is the Feast of Passover. A group of Greeks attending requested to see Jesus. Because Philip (Filippos) is a very Greek name, perhaps they had some prior conversations. At any rate, Philip needs to check out the request with Andrew, another Greek name (Andreas). The bulk of Jesus’ disciples were from Galilee, called Galilee of the Gentiles. At any rate, they decide to let Jesus know Greeks have requested an audience with him. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Something shifts when Jesus hears that some Greeks want to see him. It signals that his hour has come. Earlier in John’s Gospel, at the Wedding of Cana, he tells his mother that his hour had not yet come. What does this mean? His hour has come—to be glorified. That sounds like he will ride into Jerusalem on a white horse with the armies of heaven. So, how is he to be gloried? He uses a metaphor of sowing grains of wheat into the earth. He is the grain of wheat that must fall into the ground and die. He knows that his death will bear much fruit … He knows his death is how these Greeks and every tribe, kindred, and tongue will see Jesus! John wants us to see the cross as the ultimate means of glorification and the logic of his resurrection. Why is the cross the ultimate means of glorification? Because of what his death alone accomplishes. Jesus continues… 25 Whoever loves his life (psuche) loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. The word for life used here is psyche – translated as life or soul. This source of life, the ego, alienated from God and in rebellion towards God, must be crucified. The Psyche must fall into the ground and die so that newness of life in Christ can emerge. The “I” no longer lives but Christ lives in its place. To hate one’s life in this world? To hate one’s life in this world is not about self-annihilation but a recognition of the self in rebellion against God. Rejecting the false self is a way of caring for the true self. A shift from “my will” to “His will.” Jesus is saying to be truly human, one must undergo this difficult death of the false self. St. Ignatius of Antioch ... read. Not yet born, not yet alive, not yet human. Today’s Gospel passage says the same thing. Our transfiguration will come through submitting our daily struggle to live in union with Jesus. He identifies with the struggle: 27Now my soul (psyche) is troubled. Jesus saw his cross as the great cosmic exorcism of the world. Until Christ returns, we remain in battles and blessings. Through it all, we have been united with Christ. The power of the cross enables us to live in newness of life. The power of the cross brings us under the reign of grace. The cross is the power of God unto salvation. Let us cling to His cross, proclaiming his death until he returns.
The Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday) Sunday, March 10 II Chronicles 36:14–23 Psalm 122 Ephesians 2:1–10 John 6:1–15 Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Second Sunday in Lent: Sunday, February 25 Genesis 22:1–14 Psalm 16 or 16:6–12 Romans 8:31–39 Mark 8:31–38 Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Sunday in Lent Sunday, February 18, Year B Genesis 9:8–17 Psalm 25 or 25:3–9 I Peter 3:18–22 Mark 1:9–13 Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations, and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Mark 9:2–9 O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Genesis 12:1–3 Psalm 86:8–13 Revelation 7:9–17 Matthew 28:16–20 Almighty God, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Fourth Sunday of Epiphany Mark 1:21-28 O God, you know that we are set in the midst of many grave dangers, and because of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant that your strength and protection may support us in all dangers and carry us through every temptation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Third Sunday of Epiphany Sunday, January 21 Jeremiah 3:19–4:4 Psalm 130 I Corinthians 7:17–24 Mark 1:14–20 Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Second Sunday of Epiphany: Year B Sunday, January 14 I Samuel 3:1–20 63:1–9 I Corinthians 6:9–20 John 1:43–51 Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Year B - Mark 1:7-11
John's Prologue - 1:1-18
Icon - Ivanka Demchuk 2 Sam 7 | Luke 1:26-38
Advent 3 - Joyful Desert Witness - Andrew Comiskey 12.17.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC
Isaiah 64:1–9a Psalm 80 or 80:1–7 I Corinthians 1:1–9 Mark 13:24–37 Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Man Going On A Journey - Eric Rainwater 11.19.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC
Fr. Michael describes a very different pilgrimage than planned.
Ivanka Demchuk - Icon Parallel cities collide, one earthly, the other heavenly, the present age, and the age to come.
St. Aidan's is a local church with a variety of spiritual gifts in play. We also have members who oversee their own unique ministries, such as Desert Stream and Culture House, both having an international scope. Considering these ministries provides a living illustration of how the Holy Spirit raises up ministries with differing scope and effect. These two ministries also provide a mutual offering for each other where Christ's wholeness can be experienced in the arts and human sexuality. This talk's aim is to explain the differing gifts among us and to introduce the leaders of Desert Stream to the Culture House. Andrew and Annette Comiskey oversee Desert Stream. Based on Jesus' mercy and the dignity of men and women made in God's image, they equip Christians to gather in pursuit of radical wholeness. For more, see desertstream.org. Jeremiah and Mona Enna oversee the Culture House, a myriad of programs and opportunities for professional artists, students of the arts, and fans, families, and friends of the arts. At the core of who they are is the belief that each person was created in the image of God and has been gifted with creative gifts to improve our community and world. For more, see culturehouse.com.
Icon: Ivanka Demchuk Introduction to Spiritual Formation of the Family Seminar Opening poem: Charles Sperry Talk: Lindsay Powers
The call and example of Jesus to likewise become a servant is a way to dismantle abusive power structures. He did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. At St. Aidan's, we call newcomers to membership to commit their lives to one another in loving service. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with singing! We long to be joyful servants of the King.
We strive to build a church family that lives as the interrelated, interdependent Body of Christ of I Corinthians 12. We view membership as local and universal with intentionality and mutually agreed-upon biblical aims for the people of God in a local church family.
The Transfiguration of Christ reveals the original glorious light humanity wore as a garment. This loss of glory revealed to our ancestral parents a sense of nakedness, fear, and shame. The entrance of sin into the cosmos stripped humanity of this glory shared in communion with God. Christ, the Second Adam, the ultimate human, fully human and fully divine, shows forth the outcome of our salvation in Christ. The feast of the Transfiguration shows us what it means to be fully human, restored in Christ. Christ calls us out of darkness into his marvelous light. In baptism we put on Christ, the restored robe of glory. He calls us to walk in the light, restoring communion with God and creation. As we live in this light, we have communion with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
The Calling of Saint Matthew is a painting by Caravaggio, depicting the moment at which Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains. It hangs alongside two other paintings of Matthew by Caravaggio, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (painted around the same time as the Calling) and The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602).
Icon by Ivanka Demchuk The Wedding at Cana of Galilee, John 2:1-11, is a picture of humanity, empty and without the wine of divine life. Israel had run out of wine, and it would require the Paschal Mystery to restore the divine life. The wedding at Cana is a picture of how our transformation occurs. Jesus brings the wine, restored communion, to our lives. He fills our empty vessels with the abundance of his Kingdom - righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He’s saying if our relationship with God has run out of wine, do what he tells you, and out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. If our marriages are running low on this joyous wine, do whatever he tells you, and out of our innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. The presence of Jesus in our households brings transformation. “I will restore the years that the locust have eaten.” Joel 2:25 We see how Jesus transformed water into wine. Today we believe he will transform wine into his blood. Likewise, he can transform our households, our marriages, our relationship with him and others by the koinonia of the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit into your lives. It’s the presence of Jesus that transforms our households. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.
Holy Matrimony, a truly Christian marriage, and life-long celibacy point to the union of Christ and His Church, His Bride. Both an outward signs of an inward grace; both signify Union in Christ, yet marriage signified earthly union awaiting the consummation of all things, while life-long celibacy points to the eschatological union, the full consummation of Christ and His Church in the eschaton.
Andrew and Annette Comiskey are the founders of Desert Stream Ministries (desertstream.org/). Desert Stream is based on Jesus' mercy and the dignity of men and women made in God's image. They equip Christians to gather in pursuit of radical wholeness.
