The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Magnificat.
St. Luke I.
MY
soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded : the
lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth
: all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath
magnified me : and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them
that fear him : throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength
with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty
from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry
with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy
hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and
his seed, for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the
Holy Ghost;
As
it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.
The Collect.
O
LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity
cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety
without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old
Testament Reading: Isaiah 12
Psalter:
Psalm 98, 99 | 89, 59
Epistle
Reading: Ephesians 3.8-21
Gospel
Reading: St. Luke 7.11-17
Homily
--------
This is part of my letter to the congregation sent
out on Wednesday, 28 September:
Today, at noon, I will be speaking at the Capitol
Bible Study. I have been walking them through the seven churches in Revelation
1-3. This afternoon I will be speaking about the church at Philadelphia. And
that is one church that inspires me! It’s a church that’s scrawny, but strong.
Our Lord begins by reminding this congregation that
he “has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no
one opens” (Revelation 3:7). Jesus is alluding to Isaiah 22:20-25, and of
all the applications of this statement (election, calling, etc.), the main
point to this church in Philadelphia is that he has opened the door to them and
no one – not the media, not the government, not the Twitter mobs, not the
neighbors – no one can close it.
But he is also the one who closes the door that no
one can open. Why do you close doors? There are several reasons, but when you
have hostile forces around you (like the synagogue of Satan in 3:9 and the “hour
of trial that is coming on the whole world” in 3:10), you close a door and
bar it against bad guys who mean you harm. Thus, he’s the one that closes the
door to protect and preserve his church from the unfriendly powers out there
trying to get in here to harm his people. Great news!
Further, Jesus
praises this church because she has been loyal to him at any cost. “You have
kept” is stated two times (v.8 and 10) and Jesus assures them, “I will
keep you” (10). Jesus promises his preserving grace in the heat of
trouble/persecution, etc. And if you compare the church at Sardis (3:1-6) to
the church at Philadelphia (3:7-13) you find that they are polar opposites.
Jesus notes that the church of Sardis is all “Wow!” and no “What
(substance)!” - “You have the
reputation for being alive, but you are dead” (3:1). On the other hand,
Philadelphia is no “Wow!” but all “What!” – “you have but little power and
yet you have kept my word and not denied my name” (3:8). Therefore, she is Christ’s no matter
what others say – “they will know that I have loved you” (3:9). They may
have little “wow!” but they really have the “what!” Truly, they may be scrawny,
but he makes them strong!
Finally, Christ gives this congregation that is all
scrawny a 3-fold assurance; or a 3-fold emphasis on their security (3:12). (1) Permanence
in the presence of God “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.”
(2) Preservation in the Palace of God, “Never shall he go out of it…”.
(3) Patented and Pronounced by God – these who have not denied Christ’s
name (v.8c) have the name written on them, “the name of my God…the name of
the city of my God…and my own new name.” Nothing, and I mean nothing, can
take them away from Jesus! No matter how much bad press is put out against
them, no matter how many lawsuits filed against them, no matter how many mobs
rise up against them, they are his and will always be his!
Our Lord has lots of concerns about most of these
seven churches. Only two of them receive unabashed praise from him – the church
at Smyrna (2:8-11), and now here, the church at Philadelphia. And though the
church at Philadelphia may be scrawny, he has made them strong!
Our security and thus our confidence is Christ. Our
confidence as a congregation of Christ is wrapped up in Christ. He will maintain
us, he will prosper us, he will enrich us, and he will cause us to be his light
shining brightly in a dark place. Therefore, tenaciously holding on to his
championship title (3:11), secure in him and in his promises. Don’t concentrate
on our “little strength,” but take what we do have, which he has given us, and
has opened up to us, and give our all back to him and for him! Scrawny but Strong!
