“POPULUS ZION”
Saint Luke 21.
25-36
Populus Zion: 7 December Anno + Domini 2014
Fr Jay Watson
SSP
In The + Name of
Jesus
The problem with sinners is not that they
sin, though that is damnable in itself, but, that they ARE SINNERS! Symptoms
are always dangerous and destructive but it’s the underlying disease that is
the problem. Even talking about the
faceless, generic, “sinner(s)” is
misdirection because it’s used by us to “pass
the buck,” point the finger, and “fly
under the radar” thinking anonymous escape or, at least delay, is possible;
it isn’t. “Sinners” are not addressed by Jesus’
words today, YOU are. You are one that
betrays Him in thought, word, and deed…not Peter, not Judas, and not the “ELCA” liberal, or the “other
nasty guy in the pew” that you don’t like and that you know doesn’t do
things as “good” as you do.
You are neither professional astronomer nor
Astro-physicist. But Christ addresses you with apocalyptic and parabolic words
about great heavenly signs. You do not have advanced degrees in Hebrew,
Aramaic, Greek or Biblical exegesis, yet the Lord gives you His Holy Ghost to
discern the “beginning of the end.” Your “old
Adam” either refuses to believe or doesn’t want to embrace the God/Man the
way you should. Year after year and
decade after decade you’ve heard today’s pericopal lesson read; you’ve prayed
at dinner “come Lord Jesus,” and
you’ve even thrown around the phrase of Saint John “Maranatha,” yet do you believe…do you crave Christ’s return at
this very instant? The question is always do you “fear, love, and trust in God above all
things: THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME?” Do you love your neighbor as yourself? These are not corporate inquiries addressed
to a jury pool during voir dire but
are face-to-face questions Jesus is asking you: “Who do you say the Son of Man is?”
You confess that “He shall come again in glory to judge the quick and the dead,” and “I look for the resurrection of the dead” but
you don’t act like it. Your deeds are done in darkness too much of the time.
So, as far as “signs in the moon, and in the stars, and upon earth distress of
nations,” you do what sinners always do…talk about something else. You
project, rationalize, equivocate, lie, self-justify, and deny. Your fallen nature doesn’t want Jesus to
return and even though your “new
creation” does, it is always burdened by “old Adam” to interject “not
just yet.”
But to want to postpone the Final Advent for
more family reunions, graduations, marriages, births, vacations & cruises,
or any other earthly “thing” is to
gainsay our Lord’s words this morning and break the Great Commandment.
No you don’t pay attention to the moon or
fig tree like you should. Your hearts
are daily overcharged with surfeiting and “spiritual”
drunkenness, and cares of this life.
The answer is not in your struggling (though
you should struggle—the Holy Ghost has Saint Paul clearly instruct you on “fighting the fight”)—but in the One Who
calls you Daughter of Zion. If earthly
fathers love their little daughters how much infinitely more does The Father
love you? The answer is found in every Crucifix,
in every Word of Gospel, and in every Eucharist. The answer is in Jesus: “behold, thy Salvation commeth!”
“The Lord [Jesus], shall cause His glorious voice to be heard; and ye
shall have gladness of heart.” Jesus
forgives you your trespasses. Jesus the real SUN, “light of light” (homoousias
as Saint Nicholas confessed and fought for) Son of The Father had all the signs
done to His precious Body on the tree. The distress of nations, i.e. the trespasses of the world, was
carved into His innocent flesh. The
angelic stars hung their heads and shielded their spirit-eyes at the sight of
the Atonement as the powers of the physical and stellar heaven was shaken from
noon to 3pm on that Friday of Good!
Jesus is here and Jesus is Zion. “Out of
Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.” Your peace and rest comes from He who does
not pass away but tabernacles in your hearts, ears, and soon on your tongues. Christ watches out for you, watches with you,
and holds you tight to His bosom making you “worthy
to escape all the things that shall come to pass.”
“Gather
My saints together with Me” speaks the Lord; and His Spirit so does! The Paraclete has assembled “her that halteth, her that is driven out,
and her that has been afflicted.” In these last days it has come to pass that “the mountain of the House of The Lord”
has been established at this altar.
The Holy Communion will now be
prepared…thus... “The Kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” “Lift up your heads...” “Take
eat the Body of Christ given in death for all of your sins.” “The God
of all hope fills you with joy and peace.”
Here
endeth the Gospel
In The Name of The Father and of + The Son and of
The Holy Ghost
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