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"I am about to do a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
God spoke through Isaiah to encourage the Jewish people, dashed across the known world, and held captive in Babylon. God was reaffirming the reality that God is always present, always active, always there. The Children of Israel had gotten themselves into their own distress by ignoring, even disbelieving, this very truth: God is with us. Through the long, hard years of exile, God must have seemed far away uncaring. Those held captive wanted one thing more than any other: to be set free. They could not embrace the reality that they already were. The Word of God spoke to the Israelites imploring them to be aware of God’s presence in every minute of their lives. More than not, though, they thought this meant looking forward to the fulfillment of prophesy, the coming of the Messiah. Taking this passage, not as a foretelling of a future event, but as a present illumination, we understand that God is speaking to us as well. "I am about to do a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it?” God is always in the business of starting over. In this verse, God tells his people that after their release from Babylonian captivity, He would do a “new thing.” In Hebrew the word for “new thing” is chadash. It refers to something that has never happened before or something that has not existed before. Every moment is a Chadash--every heartbeat, breath, and sensation. When God was incarnate and became man, he not only paid the price for our sins but paved the Way for the Holy Spirit to dwell with us always. That same Spirit is moving through our lives doing Chadash all the time: “Do you not perceive it?” This is the call of God through time, to see and know in the minute the gifts we have been given and the instruction we are receiving through the Holy Spirit. Our captivity, as the children of Israel, is our false belief that we receive the world and all that is in it in the same way all the time. We think this way because we feel the same about the events of our lives. The same night routine, the same coffee taste, the same response from the one we love, always the same. But God is not limited to how we feel; in fact, God is present to break us out of this delusion and set us on the Way to spiritual awareness and true joy. The desert we trod is the perceptions we have created or embraced. Our desert is the “same old thing” and Jesus waiting for us when we pray. God has told us that the Holy Spirit will make our deserts bountiful, green, flowing with the river of life, all we need do is expand our perception. Jesus said, “those who eyes to see and ears to hear” will understand these things, he was simply saying that those who are willing to submit to that which is greater than themselves will receive it. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 Letting go of our feelings about what has been and opening up our minds to who is with us, we will see and we will hear. The Holy Spirit, as the Word proclaims through Isaiah, I am doing a new thing, the new things God declares are nothing less than the restoration of our spirit and soul. I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20b) Jesus is with us, and we need to look and listen—always. O God of the cradle and of the cross, Grant that during Christmas this year, we may have something more to show for our running about than tired feet, unwrapped presents and regrets for cards not sent. Help us to know that in Immanuel, you are always with us. Help us to be aware that if we look for you we will surely find you – but often in unexpected places and in unexpected people. And above all, help us to finish the Christmas story again this year by bowing before the cradle and worshipping beneath the cross of Jesus. In his wondrous and Holy name we pray. Amen. Merry Christmas, Fr. Bill+
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O living Bethlehem! there is a word which heaven gave thee for these moments; take it up, and let it be thy ceaseless prayer;
Come, Lord Jesus! Come! The incarnation is the most substantial act to ever occur in human history. St. Athanasius, the 4th-century Bishop of Alexandria and defender of Nicene orthodoxy, wrote in his pivotal work, On the Incarnation: “For He alone, being Word of the Father and above all, was in consequence both able to recreate all, and worthy to suffer on behalf of all and to be an ambassador for all with the Father. For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world” (On the Incarnation, 2.7-8). Athanasius understood that God incarnate changed everything as only God could. When the Word (2nd Person of the Holy Trinity, God) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) God opened the door to eternal life. The Incarnation made God accessible and knowable in the flesh. As a child born in lowly estate, God offers himself by living and being with us. Jesus is not distant, but intimately connected with us and all his creation. The writer of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 ESV). Athanasius again says, “The Savior of us all, the Word of God, in His great love took to Himself a body and moved as Man among men, meeting their senses, so to speak, half way. He became Himself an object for the senses, so that those who were seeking God in sensible things might apprehend the Father through the works which He, the Word of God, did in the body” (3.15). For Christians eternal life in assured through the life Jesus lived and the way he died. We are blessed to know what comes next, but we are also called to live this blessing in our earthly lives even as Jesus lived his. We gather for worship and fellowship in thanksgiving for the call to worship and gather, as Athanasius says, “Worship, then, the Savior “Who is above all” and mighty, even God the Word, and condemn those who are being defeated and made to disappear by Him. When the sun has come, darkness prevails no longer; any of it that may be left anywhere is driven away” (8.55). Christ came and brought with him grace, forgiveness, and love; these are the things to share with one another, especially at Christmas. We live daily in the light of the Incarnation, blessed to know and share the love of Christ with one another—as is our calling. As blessed Athanasius said, “Now, therefore, when we die we no longer do so as men condemned to death, but as those who are even now in process of rising, we await the general resurrection of all, “which in its own times He shall show,” even God Who wrought it and bestowed it on us” (2.10). As you enter into the Incarnation celebration this year, pray to be touched by the Holy Child and to be transformed by his love. The Son of God has become small to make us great; He has been given to us so that we may give ourselves to Him. He has come to show us His love so that we can respond with ours. Let us receive Him with affection. Let us love Him and turn to Him with all our needs. - St Alphonsus de Liguori, Meditations on Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Lord Jesus, Caress me with Your tiny hands, embrace me with Your tiny arms and pierce my heart with Your soft, sweet cries. Let Your goodness Lord appear to me, that I made in your image, conform myself to it. In m) own strength I cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder nor is it fitting for (me) to try. But Your mercy reaches from the heavens through the clouds to the earth below. You have come to me as a small child, you have brought me the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal love. Caress me with Your tiny hands, embrace me with Your tiny arms and pierce my heart with Your soft, sweet cries. -St. Bernard of Clairvaux- I am praying you have a restful and blessed Incarnation celebration, Fr. Bill+  I showed this study to a friend of mine and his response was, “only 27%? That’s not bad.”
Yes, it says 27%; but that’s 27% of people that are so stressed that they “CANT FUNCTION!” The numbers for debilitating to distracting daily stress range 60 to 80%. Politics, the economy, the environment, personal relations, job security, educational opportunities, and so many more reasons were given as the sources of fear and stress. In a world that is breeding chaos and uncertainty, how do we find peace? (see full report here: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/concerned-future-inflation ) Anxiety or Peace: It’s Your Choice To find the answer to this question we start with St. Paul. While Paul was in prison in Rome, facing probable execution, he wrote a letter to the Church in Phillipi. Paul, more that most, had legitimate reasons to be anxious, but he wrote to comfort the Philippians in their need. In Philippians 4:6, Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything,” implying that anxiety was a choice. Paul reminds the Philippians, and us, that living in this world will present challenges and unavoidable confrontations. The reality of living is to be in conflict; the question is how we will deal with this truth. So, how do we get “the peace that surpasses all understanding” that Paul speaks about? Paul directs us to call on God through prayer. We can turn to a lot of different people or places or philosophers to try to get help with our anxiety. The best place is to turn to God. Like all things, calling on God is a choice, we decide what call we make. We can make a call to Google, or artificial intelligence, or some book that we have read, or some person. Or we can turn to God in prayer and call out for help and comfort. We know that anxiety is created in us as we respond to events around us. Our response is the root of fear and anxiety: by choosing God in prayer, peace becomes the possible outcome of our choice. Communion and fellowship with God leave no room for anxiety! Picture a raging storm around a mountainous rock-face, anywhere up in the highest peaks. In the middle of that rock-face, is a crevice, which extends far enough into the rock to enable a bird to sit on her clutch of eggs in a firmly secured and comfortable nest without so much as a puff of air ruffing her feathers. The storm is raging all around her, but here she sits, in absolute peace and quiet, patiently waiting for the storm to pass. I would suggest that this illustration describes the peace that surpasses all understanding that God promised. Peace is not the absence of war, turmoil, and trouble, as the prophet Isaiah promised. It is in the midst of a raging storm that Isaiah references, the days of God’s people during the terrifying Assyrian aggression in Isaiah 9. Isaiah promises a Son, given by God and being born into the human world; specifically, the Jewish world (Isaiah 9:6). The phrase “unto us a Son is given”, in the Old Testament emphasizes a unique gift of God. In Isaiah 9:6 this Son is given four names: Wonderful Counselor (Pele-Yoeitz), Mighty God (El-Gibbor), Eternal Father (Avi-Ad), Prince of Peace (Sar-Shalom). These four names are all used elsewhere in the book of Isaiah and in each case, they are used of God, never of man. For example: the name “Prince of Peace”: Isaiah 26:3 says “The steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect peace…” The object and subject of the sentence is God’s self. Again, in Isaiah 26:12 the work of peace is attributed to God: “Lord, you will establish peace for us…”. Indeed, in the Book of Isaiah, the title “Prince of Peace,” always refers to God and the works of God. Isaiah 9:6 presents us with a Being who is both God and man. Isaiah 9:7 shows us that this person is the Messiah of Israel: He is to sit upon the throne of David. Isaiah 9:7 is a reaffirmation of the Davidic covenant. In the Davidic covenant, God promised David four things:
So, how do we get “the peace that surpasses all understanding” that Paul speaks about? Like the bird, sitting comfortably in her nest in the midst of the storm, believers in Christ know that, because of sin, the storms will always rage around us. We know that we are unable to manufacture peace in a world where there is no real peace. We seek a peace beyond and above the world; we seek peace from God, through the sacrifice of Christ. Prayer is the key to peace, but in truth, the peace we seek and can receive, is simply a byproduct of the real action of prayer. Prayer is the path to intimacy, the conversation of love—with Jesus. The closer we get to Jesus the greater our peace and eventually, a peace which is not affected by the world we live in. Our peace is from God, which is freely given and absolute, though we may not understand it. Our familiar New Revised Standard translation of Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I love the Passion Translation; live through these words and be at peace. Philippians 4:6-7 The Passion Translation (TPT) Don’t be pulled in different directions by the world or worried about anything. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. In the peace of Christ, Fr. Bill† I am feeling blue, Sarum Blue that is.
Prior to A.D. 313 when Constantine was recognized as Emperor, Christianity was an illegal religion. Misunderstood and persecuted, Christians worshipped in secret and suffered in public. When Constantine ascended to the throne, he proclaimed Christianity the preferred religion (as he had become a Christian) and made the persecution of Christians illegal. Additionally, he helped spread the religion by bankrolling church-building projects, commissioning new copies of the Bible, and gathering theologians from all over the world to record the faith’s doctrinal proclamations. Until 313, there was no universal date or even the formal celebration of Christmas. Notable Church Fathers such as Origen (d.255), St. Irenaeus (d. 202), and Tertullian (d. 220) do not include Christmas or its date on their lists of feasts and celebrations. After Constantine’s proclamation the church began to recognize existing practices and establish dates and celebrations for important events of the faith. During this time, the church fixed the date of Jesus birth as December 25th based on the supposed event of the Annunciation nine months earlier on March 25th. In A.D. 354 a record was found of church Bishops in which was written: "25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae"—December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea. Subsequently, this is recorded as the first celebration of Christmas, December 25, 336. Once December 25 became Christmas, the period prior to the celebration evolved in significance as a time of preparation. Advent means “coming or arrival,” and the reason for the season is anticipation and preparation for the birth of the Christ child and His second coming. In these years of the early church, Advent was also a season for candidates to prepare for church membership through Baptism. As the seasons of the church were further solidified, purple was the logical color for Lent based on two points: first, during His passion, Jesus was dressed in a purple robe. This robe (presumably) belonged to Herod, as the purple color represented royalty and royal authority. Second, Jesus was proclaimed (mockingly) as the King of the Jews, an ironic proclamation as Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Lenten purple is a blood purple or maroon purple. Advent also used purple laced with blue to represent the Birth of the New King. By the eighth century, the Mozarabic church in the east was using “sarum blue” as the color of Advent as were members of the western church by the eleventh century. The Sarum Rite (liturgical rite of the established church prior to the Reformation) was the original basis for the liturgy of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and where Sarum Blue was used for the color of Advent. Early art shows church leaders in ornately decorated blue robes. Shades of blue symbolize royalty, the coming of the King, hope, the night sky before dawn, the sea before creation, and Mary. Remember early dyes were made from nature. Some historians suggest that northern European dyes were made from berries that produced blue while southern Europe was able to make purple dyes. Tradition puts the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath—not to symbolize Mary, but to reflect the lessening emphasis on penitence, the nearing of the end of the fast, the pending birth, and the second coming. Rose or pink represents joy. The 3rd Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin for “rejoice,” takes its name from one of the traditional readings from Philippians which begins, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” At Creator we are blessed to have Sarum Blue as our Advent color. All our Advent paraments were given to the Glory of God in thanksgiving for the earthly life and in loving memory of Shirley Hardy. In anticipation, Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
January 2025
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