7 May 2012 Sermon on Eph.5,8-14 (Matins)

“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.” (Ps.98,1) That is the theme in the Christian church since Easter. For two thousand years, that’s been the new song. No longer the old song of death and dying, of darkness and sin, but rather of life, of salvation and eternity, made possible through Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the new creation.

This life has enlightened us. We too are in this light, because Jesus Christ has come into our lives. Nothing is as it was before. Everything is new now. My dear friends, contrast between old and new, between life and death, between those things which are of the past and those things which are of the present, they determine our perception and also our hope, yes, our whole existence. It is a perspective given to us from God’s judgement. We are told that the life with God is completely separated from that without Him. There is no middle ground. It is an either/or situation. These are alternatives, life or death. You can’t be half dead or half alive. It’s either/or.

For us, however, we have shades of grey in our perception because of our poor eyesight, we don’t see clearly, we see as if through a tainted glass. And it is not that we see Jesus Christ, the Son of righteousness, in all his clarity. No, we hear his voice, we sing his praises, but we don’t see Him clearly as He is. That is why St. Paul has to encourage us: “Now live as people of the light.” Find out what pleases the Lord, don’t just strive to go your own way, because it is very easy to lose track, to get lost and fall back into darkness. It is a constant threat to those who are standing, that they too may fall.

The big and marvelous deeds of God always show us a very clear departure from the old to the new. Just think of the liberation from Egypt. No longer under the power of Pharaoh, but rather, free to go into the Promised Land. We know it took more than forty years through the desert, and many times in that time, the people were distracted from the goal of the promised land. They were afraid to go in there, they were longing to go back because they had forgotten what it was. And that is a good description of our existence as Christians. You are baptized, you are a new creation, you are now in Christ. He has covered you with his garments of righteousness. Forget the old, and stretch out to the new which He has opened up to you: the promised land, unity with the family of God.

Jesus says, “Whoever is not for me, is against me. Whoever does not gather with me, scatters.” Yes, he discards, he is lost. This language is one of alternatives and not of both. Turning decidedly to the new and leaving the old behind. We struggle with that. Already called saints, and still fighting with our sin. Already saved, and not yet visible to be seen as what we are, namely one with God in Christ, reborn, enlightened, yes, that is our status thanks to Christ’s doing to us, through his Holy Spirit.

These words are ambiguous, because we sometimes think that it is our own mind that has become so enlightened so that we think for ourselves, like Emmanuel Kant said. “Be brave, think for yourself, stand on your own feet.” And even with rebirth, renaissance, is tainted. Should the spirit of the Greeks come back to us, or the spirit of Africa? No, it is the spirit of Jesus Christ. He the one who is the true light and the only way to the Father. That is the rebirth which has taken hold of you to make you a new creation, so that you can say goodbye to the old ways, to the futile ways, and dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to those ways of Jesus Christ.

It is the calling in which we stand, bearing the yoke of Christ, which is light and not heavy, a yoke which is not disappointing, but rather making our heart content, for Jesus says “Come to me all of you who are tired and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Yesterday’s gospel) And we have come to that grace, close to the fresh waters, and also to the green pastures, where our soul is invigorated, enlivened, and empowered to sing the new song for Him who has done marvelous deeds. That even as we travel through Death’s dark vale, we fear no evil, because He is now with us.

That is the new part of the story. We are no longer alone, but Jesus is with us. His light shines the way, even there where I don’t know where it’s going, I trust His guidance. He takes me by the hand and leads the way to go where He wants me to be. Yes, and when the going really gets so tough that I can’t keep going, he picks me up and carries me home. He does that: “Oh sweet chariot coming to carry me home…” We praise Him, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And the peace of our Lord which passes all understanding, bless and keep you now and forever in Christ Jesus, the Light of the World. + Amen.