St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral

"WHEN POSSIBLE, MAKE A LEGAL U-TURN"  I WAS REMINDED OF THIS WHEN I READ THE GOSPEL MESSAGE FOR TODAY.

"REPENT!" JOHN CRIES.  TURN AROUND! TURN FROM A LIFE OF SELF SEEKING, ANXIETY, WORRY, STRESS, WORLDLY AMBITION AND SEEKING AFTER FALSE SECURITY! CHANGE YOUR ENTIRE ORIENTATION! EXPERIENCE A LIFE STYLE BEFITTING A SON OR DAUGHTER OF THE GOD OF HOPE!

AGAIN, ST. PAUL WRITES  MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING.  ARE YOU FILLED WITH JOY?  ARE YOU AT PEACE WITH GOD AND YOUR  NEIGHBOR?  MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO.  ADVENT IS A TIME TO CHECK OUR JOURNEY IN FAITH TO MAKE A U TURN,  IF NECESSARY, TO GET BACK ON YOUR JOURNEY IN FAITH WITH GOD.

LOST THAT JOY AND PEACE YOU USED TO KNOW?  IF YOUR ANSWER IS YES, YOU MAY BE ASKING YOURSELF  WHERE DID I EVER MAKE THE WRONG TURN?  IT'S AMAZING HOW EASILY WE CAN TURN OFF THE KING'S HIGHWAY AND HEAD DOWN THE PRIMROSE PATH TO OUR OWN DETRIMENT.  OUR INTENTIONS MAY BE GOOD.  BUT SOMEHOW WE FIND OURSELVES IN RELATIONSHIPS OR ACTIVITIES THAT CAUSE US AND OTHERS PAIN, DEPAIR AND SADNESS.  OFTEN WE AREN'T EVEN AWARE OF WHERE WE'VE GONE WRONG.  GOD SEEMS A LONG WAY OFF  MAYBE EVEN NON-EXISTENT.   WE MAY BE BACK??  BACK TO JOY AND PEACE AND HOPE?  THE WAY BACK TO GOD? 

WHEN WE THINK OF IT, OUR U-TURNS, OR REPENTING, MAY SEEM  SO HARD TO DO, LIKE 2500 MILES HARD!  THAT MAY BE BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING FOR GOD THE WAY IT WAS BACK THEN BEFORE WE WENT OFF ON OUR OWN SINFUL, ERRANT WAYS.  BUT GOD IS NOT STANDING STILL.  TIME MARCHES ON AND SO DOES GOD.   SO DO WE FOR THAT MATTER.  THE ONLY PROBLEM IS WE MAY BE MARCHING ON DIFFERENT HIGHWAYS.  SO REPENT.  ZERO IN ON GOD'S POSITION TO YOU NOW!  NOT WHERE YOU WERE THEN!  DO THIS AND YOU'LL GET BACK ON YOUR JOURNEY.  YOU'LL BECOME A COMPLETE PERSON  "FILLED WITH ALL THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AS THE WATER COVERS THE SEAS" AS ISAIAH PROPHESIED.  SO HOW DO I REPOSITION MYSELF TO RECONNECT WITH GOD?  HOW DO I REPENT?

IT'S A MATTER OF DETERMINATION I DON'T REALLY REPENT UNTIL DEEP DOWN INSIDE I HAVE A DESIRE TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND.  WHEN I GET REAL HUNGRY FOR A FRESH START WITH GOD- THAT'S REPENTANCE!

HOW CAN I TELL WHEN I'VE REALLY REPENTED?  BY MY CONDUCT.  NEITHER YOU NOR I CAN REALLY  MAKE A U-TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND BACK TO GOD'S WAY WITHOUT SOME APPARENT CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR FOR THE BETTER.  OUR ACTIONS WILL INDICATE WE ARE REACHING AFTER BETTER THINGS.  YES, EVEN THOUGH WE MAY STILL BE STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION, OR GUILT, OR ADDICTION, OR SELF GRATIFICATION WITH WORLDLY THINGS.  THIS IS WHY I TRY NEVER TO JUDGE ANOTHER PERSON BY HIS OR HER BEHAVIOUR ALONE.  I MAY JUDGE THE BEHAIOUR BUT NOT THE ONE WHO DISPLAYS THAT BEHAIOUR.  I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE OR SHE MAY BE COMING FROM.  WHAT STRUGGLES FOR A NEW LIFE THATR MAY BE GOING ON IN HIS OR HER HEART.

TO REPENT IS TO CULTIVATE FRUIT, THE FRUIT OF REPENTANCE WHICH JOHN EXHORTED THE PHARISEE TO DISPLAY.  ARE YOU AFRAID YOU MAY NOT HAVE REPENTED SUFFUCIENTLY?- A MISTAKE TO SUPPOSE THAT DEEPER COMPUNCTION OR THE SHEDDING OF MORE TEARS IS WHAT GOD'S LOOKING FOR.  LET YOUR EMOTIONS TAKE CARE OF THENSELVES.  GOD IS LOOKING FOR A CHANGE IN YOUR CONDUCT.  A CHANGE IN WHAT YOU SAY AND WHAT YOU DO.  AND THAT'S WHERE THE GRACE OF GOD COMES IN.  GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES THE TRUE FRUIT OF REPENTANCE GROW IN US.  WHEN THAT HAPPENS WE'RE IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND.  WE RECEIVE GOD'S FORGIVENESS.   WE KNOW GOD AND WE LOVE HIM MORE AND MORE.

NOW HERE IS SOMETHING MORE I HAVE DISCOVERED IN MY JOURNEY IN FAITH.  TO  REPENT CAN MEAN TURNING AWAY FROM SINFUL WAYS.  BUT IT CAN ALSO MEAN TURNING AWAY FROM FORMS OF PIETY THATR ONCE DREW ME CLOSE TO GOD BUT DON'T ANY LONGER.  ST. PAUL IN HIS FIRST LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN CORINTH ONCE WROTE:  BROTHERS, I COULD NOT ADDRESS YOU AS SPIRITUAL BUT AS WORLDLY, MERE INFANTS IN CHRIST.  I GAVE YOU MILK, NOT SOLID FOOD, FOR YOU WERE NOT YET READY FOR IT, INDEED, YOU ARE STILL NOT READY." 1 COR. 3:1-3

SOME OF US HAVE BEEN IN THE CHURCH ALL OUR LIVES.  OTHERS HAVE ENTERED AT VARIOUS STAGES.  SOME OF US HAVE BEEN WELL SCHOOLED IN THE BASICS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND DEVOTOIONAL PRACTICES OFFERED.  WHEREVER YOU MAY FIT IN THIS SPECTRUM THERE IS ONE THING FOR SURE, YOU AND I ARE CALLED TO BECOME COMPLETE PERSONS.  PERSONS REFORMED INTO THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF JESUS CHRIST-THE MOST HUMAN OF ALL HUMANS.  AND IN ORDER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN WE NEED TO GET INTIMATE WITH GOD AGAIN!  OR MAYBE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

YOU SEE, WHEN YOU DRAW CLOSE TO GOD, YOU'LL FIND HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLOSE TO YOU.  HE HAS NEVER LET YOU OUT OF HIS SIGHT.  WHEN YOU LOOK FOR GOD WITH A BROKEN AND CONTRITE HEART YOU'LL FIND HIM THERE-LIKE A KIND OF SPIRITUAL SATELITE FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL GPS! AND THEN YOU CAN BEGIN TO HEAR HIS VOICE AGAIN.  GO THERE. STOP HERE. TURN HERE. DETOUR.

NOW YOU MAY BE THINKING  NOW HOLD ON THERE, FATHER!.  HOW CAN I GET THAT KIND OF A RELATIONSHIP?.  AND HOW CAN I GET DIRECTIONS LIKE THAT?  WELL, THE ANSWER IS IN THE PROPHESY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST WHICH WE HEARD READ IN THE GOSPEL.  REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID?  I BAPTIZE YOU WITH WATER FOR REPENTANCE.  BUT HE WILL BAPIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE.  DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH A SENDING AND RECEIVING SET WHEN YOU WERE BORN?  GOD CREATED YOU TO HEAR HIM AND KNOW HIM AS HE HEARS AND KNOWS YOU.  ITS CALLED YOUR SPIRIT.  IN HIS FIRST LETTER TO THE CHRISTIANS IN THESSALONICA PAUL PRAYS:  MAY GOD HIMSELF, THE GOD OF PEACE SANCTIFY YOU THROUGH AND THROUGH.  MAY YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY BE KEPT BLAMELESS AT THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.  THE ONE WHO CALLS YOU IS FAITHFUL AND HE WILL DO IT.   1 THESS.  5:23 & 24    AT YOUR BAPTISM GOD SEALED YOU WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT.  ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ASK GOD TO BREAK OPEN THAT SEAL SO THAT HIS GIFTS OF KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT MAY BE RELEASED.  ARE YOU READY FOR GOD TO ACTIVATE YOUR SPIRIT?   GOD NEEDS TO TURN YOU ON.  THAT'S WHAT THE FIRE IS ALL ABOUT.  JESUS BAPTIZES WITH HOLY THE SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE.

SO REPENT.  ASK JESUS TO OPEN YOUR HEART TO ACTIVATE YOUR SPIRIT TO GIVE YOU HIS GODLY DIRECTION.  ST PAUL ONCE WROTE  WALK IN THE SPIRIT AND YOU WILL NOT FULFILL THE LUST OF THE FLESH.   YOU'LL JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE WITH A SUPERNATURAL EASE THAT WILL BE FILLED WITH A FEARLESS ABANDONMENT TO GOD.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE THINGS ABOUT DRIVING THROUGH HEAVY TRAFFIC IN MILWAUKEE, CHICAGO OR LOS ANGELES WITH  MY GPS TURNED ON IS THAT I DON'T HAVE TO STRAIN TO READ SIGNS OR WATCH OUT FOR ADDRESSES.  ALL I HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN TO THAT LOVELY VOICE SAY THINGS LIKE.  RIGHT TURN IN POINT FIVE MILES AND THEN TURN WHEN THE LITTLE BELL RINGS.  BUT THE BEST THING IS AFTER DRIVING FOR MILES THROUGH UNKNOWN TERRITORY, THAT DELIGHTFUL VOICE SAYS:  APPROACHING DESTINATION ON THE RIGHT.  AND THEN.  YOU HAVE ARRIVED.          

FATHER OKKERSE