4th St. Johnstide 2016, Garland of Beautiful Deeds

St. Johnstide

Matthew 11: 2-15

John in Prison, Cornelius de Galle the Younger

When John heard in prison about the deeds of Christ, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are awakened, and those who have become poor receive the message of salvation. Blessed are those who are not offended by my Being.”

When they had gone, Jesus began to speak about John. “Why did you go out into the desert? Did you want to see a reed swaying in the wind? Or was it something else you wanted to see? Did you want to see a man in splendid garments? Those in splendid garments are in the palaces of kings. Did you go to see a man who is initiated into the mysteries of the spirit, a prophet? Yes, I say to you—he is more than a prophet. He it is of whom it is written:

           

          

John Baptist, Roumanian 10th century

  Behold it well: I will send my angel before your face;

            He shall prepare the way of your working in human hearts

            So that your being may be revealed.

The truth I say to you: among all who are born of women, not one has risen up who is greater than John the Baptist; and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist, and even more now, the kingdom of heaven will arise within human beings through the power of the will; those who exert themselves can freely grasp it. The deeds of the prophets and the content of the Law are words of the spirit that were valid [worked into the future] until the time of John. And if you want to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

4^th St. Johnstide

July 17, 2016

Matthew 11: 2-15

Sometimes one hears a parent telling a child not to do something which the parent him/herself is doing. It is a case of “Do what I say, not what I do.” This is not very effective because children imitate, and we have to set a good example. We need to model and be the change we wish to see.

In the reading today, Christ lays emphasis, not on talk, nor on affirmation, but on deeds.  John asks if Jesus is the Messiah, the expected new political leader, or great prophet. Christ Jesus does not say, ‘Sure, I am the Messiah’. He does not point to great teachings. He points to deeds accomplished on behalf of others. Through Him, human beings are cleansed, strengthen, and elevated.

Christ further emphasizes that it is our own activity of will that moves humanity forward. Through energetic inner activity, the kingdom of the heavens will arise within human hearts. It is through the kingdom within that we ourselves are healed, strengthened and elevated. It is through the kingdom within that we can strengthen and elevate others.

The Buddha said,

The perfume of sandalwood,

the scent of rosebay and jasmine,

travel only as far as the wind.

But the fragrance of goodness

travels with us

through all the worlds.

Like garlands woven from a heap of flowers,

fashion your life

as a garland of beautiful deeds.

4th St. John's Tide 2014, Enter Our Enormity

St. Johnstide

Matthew 11: 2-15

When John heard in prison about the deeds of Christ, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are awakened, and those who have become poor receive the message of salvation. Blessed are those who are not offended by my Being.”

When they had gone, Jesus began to speak about John. “Why did you go out into the desert? Did you want to see a reed swaying in the wind? Or was it something else you wanted to see? Did you want to see a man in splendid garments? Those in splendid garments are in the palaces of kings. Did you go to see a man who is initiated into he mysteries of the spirit, a prophet? Yes, I say to you—he is more than a prophet. He it is of whom it is written:

           

            Behold it well: I will send my angel before your face;

            He shall prepare the way of your working in human hearts

            So that your being may be revealed.

The truth I say to you: among all who are born of women, not one has risen up who is greater than John the Baptist; and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist, and even more now, the kingdom of heaven will arise within human beings through the power of the will; those who exert themselves can freely grasp it. The deeds of the prophets and the content of the Law are words of the spirit that were valid [worked into the future] until the time of John. And if you want to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

4^th St. John’s Tide

July 20, 2014

Matthew 11: 2-15

A child may wish for a pony. If they receive a toy pony instead of a real one, there may be disappointment. Yet in a child’s world of imagination, that toy pony may be able to take them on greater and broader adventures than any physical pony could.

Grunewald

The Hebrew people were expecting a certain kind of threefold Messiah. He would be a great king who would overthrow the Roman occupation. He would be a high priestly initiate; and he would be a great prophet. What they got instead was a poor itinerant preacher and healer who would be executed as a criminal. Even John the Baptist, who had seen the spirit of God descend upon him, became unsure if this was truly the Messiah. And yet….

The reality of Christ in Jesus was far greater than their hopes and expectations demanded. Jesus asks them to look to His deeds of teaching and healing, for they are the beginning of the founding of a new race, a new people, the Christ folk. Instead of being an earthly king, he would become the Lord of Karma. Instead of serving as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, he would fulfill in his own person the sacrificial rites of bread and wine that Melchizedek initiated. And he would give humanity the universal prayer that we call the Lord’s prayer. Instead of merely foretelling the future, he would become mankind’s future.

In our lives too, often what we get from the Lord of Karma is far greater than what we wish for. And thus, we may unite our souls, our thoughts, our feelings, our will, with Christ and with whatever He wants to give us. It may not look anything like what we expected or hoped for. In fact it may appear to be something we most decidedly did not want. But in His own secret way, Christ makes our lives inexpressibly deeper and richer. Stephen Levine says:

There is a grace approaching

that we shun as much as death,

it is the completion of our birth.

It does not come in time,

but in timelessness

….

It is an insistent grace that draws us

to the edge and beckons us surrender

safe territory and enter our enormity.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Stephen Levine,  “Millennium Blessing” in Breaking the Drought