The Ascension of the Lord

Seventh Sunday of Easter, A

Ascension Sunday

June 1, 2014

First sermon preached at Alfonso United Methodist Church

Introduction

Today is the June 1, the first Sunday of June and the beginning of the new Conference Year 2014-2015. Today is also the Seventh Sunday of Easter, also celebrated as Ascension Sunday. According to the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven forty days after his Resurrection. This year we celebrated Easter last April 20. Counting forty days, Ascension Day is May 29, which is a Thursday, but it may be celebrated on the following Sunday.

The Ascension of the Lord is a time of transition. It marks the end of the bodily presence of the Lord on earth and the beginning of his indwelling presence in us through the Holy Spirit. According to our first reading today (Acts 1:1-11), Jesus appeared to his disciples on different occasions during a forty-day period after his Resurrection. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem "but to wait for the promise of the Father" (v. 4), i.e., the Holy Spirit.

Today is also a time of transition. We mark the end of the faithful ministry of the Rev. Jheny Agaser here at Alfonso UMC and the beginning of the ministry of yours truly. Our church itself is in a time of transition. We are saying goodbye to our old chapel which has served us for years and we are in the middle of the construction of a bigger and better chapel for the glory of God!

For us Christians, the Ascension of the Lord is a time for us to wait for the coming of Jesus. When the disciples saw how Jesus was ascended into heaven, two angels ("young men in white apparel") told them,

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen him going into heaven. (v. 11).

While we are waiting for the coming of Jesus, what should we do?

I. We should "open" the Holy Scriptures (Luke 24:44-45)

When the Lord Jesus appeared to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, he opened (in v. 27, διερμηνεύω, dihermeneuo, 'expounded'; in v. 32, διανοίγω, dianoigo, 'opened', also used in v. 45) to them the Scriptures--specifically the Jewish Scriptures, which the Jews call "the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms" (v. 44). (In Hebrew, the Torah [the Law of Moses], the Neviim [the Prophets] and the Ketuvim [the Writings; of which the Psalms is part]. Hence, the Jews call their Bible as the TaNaKh.)

As Christians, it is our duty to "open" the Scriptures. But the job of opening the Scriptures is not getting easier. Now it is easy to buy a Bible from the bookstore or download it into our smartphones. But despite of this the Bible remains a "closed" book--even to many Christians! Many Christians do not read the Bible anymore, or not longer like biblical sermons. This is exactly what St. Paul wrote to St. Timothy:

Preach the Word; be instant in season, or out of season....  For the time will come, when they will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers, according to their own desires, having itching ears. And they will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

This Conference Year, let us make a commitment to "open the Scriptures". We should not just settle for what "feels good" or what is "relevant". We should be committed to know what God is actually saying in his Word!

II. We should proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:46)

As Christians, it is our duty to open Scriptures and help people understand what it means. What shall we proclaim? That it was "necessary" for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (v. 46). Our "opening" of the Scriptures should be centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

The central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ himself. That is why when Jesus expounded the Scriptures to his disciples, "he explained to them the things in all the scriptures, concerning himself" (v. 27). This is the reason we have three scripture readings in the liturgy: the Old Testament points forward to Jesus; the New Testament (Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation) point backward to Jesus; and the Gospel are about Jesus himself.

As we "open" the Scriptures, we should always ask ourselves, What does tell me about God, (or Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit)? As St. Paul wrote to the saints in Ephesus,

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, through the knowledge of him. (Ephesians 1:17)

III. We should preach the repentance and remission of sins in His name. (Luke 24:47)

As we open the Scriptures and proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we should also preach the "repentance and remission of sins" (v. 47). But preaching repentance and the remission of sins is not the popular thing to do. In fact, it can be an offensive thing to do. Some people even defend sinful behavior and call them "alternative lifestyles".

The word repentance (μετάνοια, metanoia) means 'to change one's mind' and remission (ἄφεσις, afesis) means 'release from bondage or imprisonment' and 'forgiveness and pardon for sins'. To repent means to change one's mind about sin--to see how destructive it is in our lives. To be remitted of our sins means that we are released from the bondage and imprisonment of sin. Repentance is the action of man (but we should always remember, only by the grace of God) and the remission of sins is the action of God, made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Kaya po pag tinamaan kayo ng sermon ko, huwag po kayong magagalit. Unang taon ko pa lang naman kaya kung may tamaan man ako, 'di ko sinasadya. Ang dapat nga ay magpasalamat tayo sa Diyos dahil nararamdaman pa rin natin na gustong baguhin ng Diyos ng buhay natin para sa ating ikabubuti.

Conclusion

As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, and as we begin this new Conference Year, let us commit ourselves to the opening of the Scriptures, the proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the repentance and remittance of sins. May we be so committed until we see this Jesus who was taken into heaven comes again. Amen.

Happy and Blessed

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, C

[The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord]

Matthew 5:1-12

February 2, 2012

Preached at Tagaytay United Methodist Church

Introduction

In today’s Gospel we read the beginning of the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: the Beatitudes. We read in the preceding passage, Matthew 4:23-25, that Jesus had been preaching throughout Galilee, healing the sick and casting out demons. His fame spread throughout the land and people everywhere came and followed him. Because he saw the “multitudes”, Jesus went up a mountain and sat down to teach them. The “disciples” here were not just the twelve Apostles: as John Wesley pointed out, it would have been enough for them to meet in a room instead of on a mountain (Sermon 21: Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: Discourse 1). These included “all who desired to learn of him” (Notes Upon the New Testament, Matthew V:1).

There is much to say on today’s Gospel reading. This could be made into a series of eight sermons; one for each beatitude. John Wesley himself wrote three sermons on the Beatitudes, which is part of his series on the Sermon on the Mount. These are Sermon 21 (Discourse 1), Sermon 22 (Discourse 2), and Sermon 23 (Discourse 3). In this sermon, we will attempt to:

1) define the word “blessed”;

2) identify what sort of people who are “blessed”; and

3) see the rewards of those people who are “blessed”.

I. What is “being blessed”?

The word that Jesus used in the Beatitudes is μακαριος, makarios, which means both ‘happy’ and ‘blessed’ (which explains why different English translations of the Bible render this word either as “happy” or “blessed”). In the Greek New Testament, the other word used that is translated as “blessed” which is ευλογεω, eulogeō, (lit. ‘to speak well of’) which can be rendered as ‘to praise (somebody, e.g., God)’ and ‘to ask for God’s blessing upon someone’.

Similarly, there are two words for “blessed” in Hebrew:בָּרַךְ, barāk, which means ‘to praise (somebody, esp. God)’ and ‘to ask for God’s blessing upon someone’—similar to ευλογεω. Meanwhile, the other word is אַשֵׁר, asher, which can be rendered as either ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’—also similar to μακαριος. Had Jesus been preaching in Hebrew (which he probably did, although this was in “Galilee of the Gentiles” where a lot of the population probably spoke Greek), he would have used אַשֵׁר instead of בָּרַךְ.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus is showing us that to be “blessed” is to be “happy” and to be “happy” is to be “blessed”. But what sort of people does Jesus call “happy” and “blessed”?

II. Who are those who are considered “blessed”?

A cursory look of those people whom Jesus considered “happy” and “blessed” are those not considered happy and blessed by this world: the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, the persecuted, & c. Who are these people called by Jesus as “happy” and “blessed”?

1. “Happy are the poor in spirit”: These are not those who are literally poor, for that would mean a salvation by “good works”; i.e., that one needs to divest oneself of wealth to be saved. Rather these are those “are unfeignedly penitent, they who are truly convinced of sin; who see and feel the state they are in by nature, being deeply sensible of their sinfulness, guiltiness, helplessness” (Notes, Matthew V:4). Thus, those who are “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their own spiritual poverty and need of God’s grace. (The Magandang Balita Biblia [Tagalog Popular Version] translates it very accurately: “Mapalad ang mga aba na wala nang inaasahan kundi ang Diyos”.)

2. “Happy are they that mourn”: These are those who mourn “[e]ither for their own sins, or for other men's, and are steadily and habitually serious” (Notes, Matthew V:5). They also mourn because they feel that God has “hidden his face” from them on account of sin (Sermon 21, Discourse 1)

3. “Happy are the meek”: Meekness is not the same as weakness: the meek are “[t]hey that hold all their passions and affections evenly balanced.” (Notes, Mattew V:6). “It poises the mind aright. It holds an even scale, with regard to anger, and sorrow, and fear; preserving the mean in every circumstance of life, and not declining either to the right hand or the left….”. It is “a calm acquiescence in whatsoever is his will concerning us, even though it may not be pleasing to nature; saying continually, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good’ (Sermon 22, Discourse 2).

4. “Happy are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness”: These are people who are hungry and thirsty for God. John Wesley wrote,

And it is as impossible to satisfy such a soul, a soul that is athirst for God, the living God, with what the world accounts religion, as with what they account happiness. The religion of the world implies three things: (1.) The doing no harm, the abstaining from outward sin; at least from such as is scandalous, as robbery, theft, common swearing, drunkenness: (2.) The doing good, the relieving the poor; the being charitable, as it is called: (3.) The using the means of grace; at least the going to church and to the Lords Supper. He in whom these three marks are found is termed by the world a religious man. But will this satisfy him who hungers after God? No: It is not food for his soul. He wants a religion of a nobler kind, a religion higher and deeper than this. He can no more feed on this poor, shallow, formal thing, than he can “fill his belly with the east wind.” True, he is careful to abstain from the very appearance of evil; he is zealous of good works; he attends all the ordinances of God: But all this is not what he longs for. This is only the outside of that religion, which he insatiably hungers after. The knowledge of God in Christ Jesus; “the life which is hid with Christ in God;” the being “joined unto the Lord in one Spirit;” the having “fellowship with the Father and the Son;” the “walking in the light as God is in the light;” the being “purified even as He is pure;” — this is the religion, the righteousness, he thirsts after: Nor can he rest, till he thus rests in God. (Sermon 22, Discourse 2)

5. “Happy are the merciful”: These are people who truly love their neighbors. They are “the tender-hearted; those who, far from despising, earnestly grieve for, those that do not hunger after God. ‘[T]he merciful,’ in the full sense of the term, are they who love their neighbours as themselves. (Sermon 22, Discourse 2).

6. “Happy are the pure in heart”: These are those who whose hearts have been purified by God from sin:

[T]hey whose hearts God hath “purified even as he is pure;” who are purified, through faith in the blood of Jesus, from every unholy affection; who, being “cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfect holiness in the” loving “fear of God.” They are, through the power of his grace, purified from pride, by the deepest poverty of spirit; from anger, from every unkind or turbulent passion, by meekness and gentleness; from every desire but to please and enjoy God, to know and love him more and more, by that hunger and thirst after righteousness which now engrosses their whole soul: So that now they love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and mind, and strength. (Sermon 23, Discourse 3)

7. “Happy are the peace-makers”: John Wesley points out that the word “peace” “implies all manner of good; every blessing that relates either to the soul or the body, to time or eternity.”

In its literal meaning it implies those lovers of God and man who utterly detest and abhor all strife and debate, all variance and contention; and accordingly labour with all their might, either to prevent this fire of hell from being kindled, or, when it is kindled, from breaking out, or, when it is broke out, from spreading any farther. They endeavour to calm the stormy spirits of men, to quiet their turbulent passions, to soften the minds of contending parties, and, if possible, reconcile them to each other. (Sermon 23, Discourse 3)

8. “Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake”: John Wesley noted since peace-makers are so amiable in temper and behavior, they would be “darlings of mankind” (Notes, Matthew V:9). But since Satan is “the prince of this world”, the followers of Christ will be persecuted “for righteousness sake” (Notes, Matthew V:10). These are people who are being persecuted for doing what is right and for following Jesus.

The reason is plain: The spirit which is in the world is directly opposite to the Spirit which is of God. It must therefore needs be, that those who are of the world will be opposite to those who are of God. There is the utmost contrariety between them, in all their opinions, their desires, designs, and tempers. And hitherto the leopard and the kid cannot lie down in peace together. The proud, because he is proud, cannot but persecute the lowly; the light and airy, those that mourn: And so in every other kind; the unlikeness of disposition (were there no other) being a perpetual ground of enmity. Therefore, were it only on this account, all the servants of the devil will persecute the children of God. (Sermon 23, Discourse 3)

III. Why are they “blessed”?

In spite of not being considered happy and blessed by the world, why are the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and the persecuted considered happy and blessed?

1. “Happy are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: Because they recognize their spiritual poverty, God will let them inherit his kingdom. By “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” John Wesley writes, “The present inward kingdom: righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, as well as the eternal kingdom, if they endure to the end. Luke vi, 20.” (Notes, Matthew V:4)

2. “Happy are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted”: Because they mourned on earth, they will be comforted in this life and in the life to come. “[W]eeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, Jewish Publication Society, 1917). They shall be comforted “[m]ore solidly and deeply even in this world, and eternally in heaven” (Notes, Matthew V:4)

3. “Happy are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth”: Because they practice self-control on earth, God shall make them inherit it. “They shall have all things really necessary for life and godliness. They shall enjoy whatever portion God hath given them here, and shall hereafter possess the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (Notes, Matthew V:5)

4. “Happy are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be satisfied”: Because they hungered and thirsted not for the things of this world, but only in God, God himself will be their satisfaction. They will find rest, because they will rest in God.

5. “Happy are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy”: Because they have shown mercy to their neighbors, they shall also be shown mercy from God.

6. “Happy are the pure in heart; for they shall see God”: Because they have made their lives pure, they “shall see him as he is”: “Beloved. Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure” (I John 3:2-3, John Wesley New Testament).

7. “Happy are the peace-makers; for they shall be called children of God”: “God shall continue unto them the Spirit of adoption, yea, shall pour it more abundantly into their hearts. He shall bless them with all the blessings of his children. He shall acknowledge them as sons before angels and men; “and, if sons, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” (Sermon 23, Discourse 3)

8. “Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: They are persecuted because they do what is right (“for righteousness sake”) and because of their testimony for Christ (“for my name’s sake,” v. 11). The world, ruled by Satan, hates them. But just like the “poor in spirit”, they shall “inherit the kingdom of heaven”; moreover, Jesus said, “for great is your reward in heaven”. (v. 12)

Conclusion

The Beatitudes challenge us to redefine our understanding of the words “blessing” and “happiness”. What are the things which we consider “blessings”? What are the things which make us “happy”? Are these things the things of earth, here today and gone tomorrow? We need to redefine our understanding of “blessedness” and “happiness” according to the definition of Jesus. We must consider ourselves happy and blessed when we are poor, hungry, mournful, or persecuted, because we will inherit the things that will endure for eternity. Amen.

God Manifests His Power to Save

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (A)
January 5, 2014
Matthew 2:1-11
Preached at Holy Will UMC, Cavite
 

 
Introduction

Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word επιφανεια, epifaneia, which means ‘manifestation’. It is used only once in the Greek New Testament but at least 23 times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint. Most of the time it means ‘God showing himself to people to save them’.

Originally, the Epiphany is a celebration of the ways of how God “manifested” himself to humankind. Nowadays, the Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas Season, the Twelve Days of Christmas. But in the Early Church, it commemorated the following: Jesus’ Nativity, his Adoration by the Magi, his Baptism, and his Miracle in the Wedding at Cana. We know this because of a sermon of Peter Chrysologus (the ‘golden-worded’), a fifth-century bishop, theologian, and saint. Eventually, these events were commemorated on separate days: the Nativity became Christmas and was moved to December 25; the Adoration of the Magi remained on January 6; the Baptism of the Lord was moved to the second Sunday of January; and the Miracle in Cana on third Sunday of January (in the Revised Common Lectionary, only every Year C).

The Epistle to the Hebrews says that God “…at sundry times and in divers manners spake of old to the father by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son” (1:1 John Wesley New Testament). In these events—the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Baptism, and the Wedding Cana—how did God manifest himself through his Son, Jesus Christ?

 

I. The Nativity: God with Us

The Nativity of the Lord was the first manifestation of God to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is called עִמָּנוּ אֵל, Immanuel, ‘God with Us’ (literally, With-us-[is]-God) (Matthew 1:24; cf. Isaiah 7:14). In the Gospel of Luke, the angels sang at his birth: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace: goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:13-14). And how is the glory of God show? By a “babe, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger” (v. 12). As Peter Chrysologus said in his sermon, the Child was “…heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body.”

 

Lastly, the Gospel of John calls Jesus the “Word”: “In the beginning existed the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (v. 1). “And the Word as made flesh, and tabernacle among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (v. 14). In Jesus Christ, “the Word…made flesh” God has spoken to us!

 

 

II. The Adoration of the Magi

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea, as Star rose in the East and it was seen by the Magi, Wise Men from the East. John Wesley wrote in his Notes upon the New Testament:

Wise Men—The first fruits of the Gentiles. Probably they were Gentile philosophers, who, through the Divine assistance, had improved their knowledge of nature, as a means of leading to the knowledge of the one true God. Nor is it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favored them with some extraordinary Revelations of himself, as he did Melchisedek, Job, and several others, who were not of the family of Abraham; to which he never intended absolutely to confine his favors. The title given them in the original was anciently given to all philosophers, or men of learning; those particularly who were curious in examining the works of nature, and observing the motions of the heavenly bodies. From the east—So Arabia is frequently called in Scripture. It lay to the east of Judea, and was famous for gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Magi were the first among the Gentiles to be believers of the Lord Jesus Christ (just as the shepherds were the first among the Jews to be believers in him). How did they come to believe in him. God showed them the Star in the East. About this Star, John Wesley wrote in his Notes, “Undoubtedly they had before heard Balaam's prophecy [in Numbers 24:17—G]. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was revealed to them that this prophecy was fulfilled.”

The Bible is not a story of men struggling to know and reach God; ultimately it is God who stooped down and made himself known to men. The shepherds were not looking for the Child Jesus; it was revealed to them by the angel. The Magi were not in a search for a child who is “born King of the Jews”; it was God who brought them to his Son by the light of his Star.

 

 

III. The Baptism of the Lord

Next Sunday we will be celebrating the Baptism of the Lord in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist. In his Baptism, God revealed his as his only-begotten Son: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight” (Matthew 3:17). Peter Chrysologus said,

Today, as the psalmist prophesied: “The voice of the Lord is heard above the waters” [Psalm 29:3]. What does the voice say? “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Today the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters in the likeness of a dove. A dove announced to Noah that the flood had disappeared from the earth; so now a dove is to reveal that the world’s shipwreck is at an end forever.

We will talk more about the Baptism of the Lord next Sunday.

 

 

IV. The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana

The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana is when Jesus turned water into wine. Peter Chrysologus compares this to the wine and water in the Holy Eucharist. In Catholic and Orthodox churches, they follow the custom of adding a small amount of water to the wine in the chalice. (Actually, the Orthodox use warm water to symbolize the “fervor of the Holy Spirit”, among other things.)

Today Christ works the first of his signs from heaven by turning water into wine. But water has still to be changed into the sacrament of his blood, so that Christ may offer spiritual drink from the chalice of his body, to fulfill the psalmist’s prophecy: How excellent is my chalice, warming my spirit.

The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana is called as σημειον, sēmeion, which means ‘sign’ in Greek. The turning of water into wine is a sign of the power of Jesus to transform. Just as he transformed water into wine, he has the power to change people’s lives: in the next chapter, Jesus talks about a person having the need to be “born again” (3:3) “by water and the Spirit” (v. 5). This “born again experience is not mere intellectual assent (“Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior”) but through the Sacrament of Baptism: “There we are buried with him in baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4)

(See sermon on turning “Water into Wine” from January 2012 here.)

Conclusion: The power to save

The theme of Epiphany is the manifestation of God to human beings in his power to save.

In his Nativity, the Lord Jesus, who is “God with us”, was born in order that “he might save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

In his Epiphany, when he was adored by the Magi, Jesus was manifested to the Gentiles by the leading of a Star. In the gifts of the Magi, he is shown as “King and God and Sacrifice”.

In his Baptism, Jesus was manifested as the only-begotten Son of God, who baptism is a prefiguring of the washing away of our sins.

In his Miracle at the Wedding in Cana, Jesus showed his power to have things and people transformed.

In Covenant with God

The Feast of the Holy Name (A)
New Year’s Eve Covenant Service
December 31, 2013
Preached at Holy Will UMC and at Noveleta UMC,
both in Cavite
 

An Orthodox icon of the Circumsion of the Lord 

Introduction

It is the practice of Methodists around the world to celebrate January 1 or December 31 with a Covenant Renewal Service. The first Covenant Renewal Service was conducted by John Wesley at the French church in Spitafields, London on August 11, 1755.

Here are some excerpts of from the Journal of John Wesley regarding the Covenant Renewal Service. On January 1, 1773, Father Wesley wrote:

1773. Friday, January 1.--We (as usual) solemnly renewed our covenant with God.

“As usual”. This means that the early Methodists have been regularly celebrating the Covenant Renewal Service for around twenty years now. Three years later, Father Wesley wrote:

1776. January 1.—About eighteen hundred of us met together in London in order to renew our covenant with God; and it was, as usual, a very solemn opportunity.

“As usual” again. Just three years later, 1,800 people attended a Covenant Renewal Service in London! Then in an entry the following year, Father Wesley described the blessings they experienced in during a covenant renewal service:

1777. Wednesday, January 1.--We met, as usual, to renew our covenant with God. It was a solemn season wherein many found His power present to heal and were enabled to urge their way with strength renewed.

 

Finally, we have the following two entries, a few years before Father Wesley died in 1791:

1783. Wednesday, January 1.--May I begin to live today! Sunday, 5. We met to renew our covenant with God. We never meet on this occasion without a blessing; but I do not know that we had ever so large a congregation before.

1785. Saturday, January 1.--Whether this be the last or no, may it be the best year of my lifel Sunday, 2. A larger number of people were present this evening at the renewal of our covenant with God than was ever seen before on the occasion.

The Early Church did not observe January 1 as “New Year’s Day”. January 1 is the Eighth Day of Christmas. According to our Gospel reading today, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his birth (Luke 2:21), hence it was observed as “the Feast of the Circumcision”. It is still observed as such in among the Eastern Orthodox churches.

Nowadays, the Roman Catholic Church observes this day as “the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God”. Meanwhile, the Church of England (from which Methodism came from) observes this day as “the Feast of the Holy Name” because when he was circumcised, he was given the Holy Name of JESUS--‘the LORD saves’, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

So on this day, we have the concepts of covenant and of the holy name of Jesus. What implications does this have to us as we renew our covenant with God today?
 
I. The concept of “covenant”

According to the Bible, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. According to the Torah, which is Jewish Law every male child shall be circumcised when he is eight days old. The covenant of circumcision was given by God to Abraham as a “token” “in the flesh” of God’s covenant with him (Genesis 17:10-14). In Hebrew, circumcision is called בְּרִית מִילָה‎, brit milah—‘covenant of circumsion’; or simply brit.

Jesus was circumcised in order for him to live and fulfill the Torah: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). John Wesley wrote,

To circumcise the child—That he might visibly be made under the law by a sacred rite, which obliged him to keep the whole law; as also that he might be owned to be the seed of Abraham, and might put an honour on the solemn dedication of children to God. (Notes upon the New Testament)

If circumcision is the “token” “in the flesh” of the Old Covenant, Christian baptism is the token in the flesh of the New Covenant.

…baptism, now saveth us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ… (I Peter 3:21)

Some have the mistaken notion that one has to “believe first” before being baptized. But if we look at circumcision, a Jew does not need to “believe first” in order to get circumcised. He is circumcised first and then he gets nurtured in the faith until he professes it for himself. In the same way, Christian children are baptized first and then they get nurtured in the faith until they are able to confess it for themselves—which we call “Confirmation”.

Thus, “covenant” is a sign of God’s grace. God does not make a covenant with us because we “deserve” it, but because he loved us first: “But God recommendeth his love toward us, in that, whie we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

II. The Holy Name of JESUS

When Christ was circumcised, he was formally given the name JESUS ('YHWH saves'), the name given to him through the message of an angel. In Jewish Law, a boy child was given a “Hebrew name” when he was circumcised, much like a Christian child a “Christian name” during baptism (hence, baptisms are also called “christenings”). (Jewish boys are usually given the name of one of their relatives; Christians used to name their children after the saint whose day they were born on.)

In the Old Testament, the name of God is used to bless God’s people. Our First Lesson is about the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Benediction. It is the blessing which the LORD, blessed be he, commanded Aaron and his children to use when blessing the children of Israel.

 

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.

יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.

יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;

The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

What is the Name of God? The Name of God is written as the Tetragrammaton, the four letters YHWH (יהוה). The pronunciation has long been a topic of debate. (One Orthodox Jewish website says that most certainly not pronounced as “Yahweh”.) What is the Name of God, then? I teach Hebrew in a small seminary somewhere; and I only discuss that on the day before final examination! Let’s not talk about that now.  Our second reading says,

And ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sin into your heats, crying Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)

What is the Name of God? One of the names of God that Jesus taught us is “Father”. When his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), he taught them what we would call the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Conclusion: The Covenant Prayer of John Wesley

Before we pray the Covenant Prayer, let us spend time studying it.

The Covenant Prayer says:  I am no longer my own, but thine. Just as St. Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ, and I live no longer, but Christ liveth in me” (2:20).

And since “Christ liveth in me”, Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. God can put us wherever he wants, and put us with the people he wants. The Church is not an exclusive “country club” of the rich which is “for members only”. God will place is wherever and with whomever he wants.

Put me to doing. Our prayer is: Lord, use me. Put me to suffering. Oh, we love praying, “Lord, bless me indeed!” but we loathe to pray, “Put me to suffering”. But since we’ve prayed, “I am not longer my own, but thine,” if it is the Lord’s will that we suffer, so be it!

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee. Not only we are to pray for God to use us, we are also to pray that we are will to be “laid aside” for him. Exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Oh, we love to be exalted! But now let us pray: Let me be “brought low for thee”.

We love to pray, Let me be full, “pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). But we are afraid of praying, let me be empty. We love to pray, Let me have all things, but we are afraid of praying, let me have nothing. If it is God’s will that we may “have all things”, so be it. But if God says, “I will take away everything from you”, so be it. For, I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

Come now, brothers and sisters, let us begin the New Year by binding ourselves in covenant with God.

THE COVENANT PRAYER OF JOHN WESLEY

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

 

A FILIPINO/TAGALOG TRANSLATION

Hindi na ako para sa aking sarili, kundi para sa iyo.
Ilagay mo ako kung saan mo nais, ihanay mo sa kung kanino mo nais.
Ilagay mo ako sa paggawa, ilagay mo ako sa pagdurusa.
Ako ay magamit para sa iyo, o maisantabi para sa iyo,
maitaas para sa iyo, o maibaba para sa iyo.
Punuin mo ako, o alisan mo ako ng laman.
Mapasaakin ang lahat ng bagay, o mawala sa akin ang lahat ng bagay.
Malaya at buong-puso kong isinusuko ang lahat ng bagay sa iyong kalooban.
At ngayon, O maluwalhati at pinagpalang Diyos,
Ama, Anak, at Espiritu Santo, ikaw ay akin, at ako ay sa iyo. Siya nawa.
At ang tipan na ginawa ko sa lupa, nawa ay pagtibayin sa langit. Amen.