Homily for February 2019 Holy Hour
Jeremiah 29:1-15
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)
Philippians 3:17-21
Luke 23:44-53<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you look at the front of tonight\u2019s program, the theme is \u201cA Winter\u2019s Rest.\u201d\u00a0 I picked this time almost two weeks ago on a cold winter day with snow on the ground.\u00a0 So, a theme involving winter seemed appropriate.\u00a0 However, I was concerned that it would warm up to 60 and the snow would be gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alas,\nthe high temperature today was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground is\ncovered with snow. Clearly, it is still\nwinter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nshouldn\u2019t be surprised by it. It happens\nevery year. The four seasons are a\nnatural part of creation as God established it. \nWhile we might not enjoy the extremes of hot and cold, we can enjoy in\nour area experiencing all four seasons. \nThe \u201cbad weather\u201d helps us appreciate the \u201cgood weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nin picking \u201cA Winter\u2019s Rest\u201d as tonight\u2019s theme, it is not so much the snow and\nthe cold I was thinking about. Rather,\nthink about the trees, think about the gardens. \nWhat do they look like right now? \nThe trees are barren. The gardens\nare empty except maybe a bush. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\nabout the squirrels and the birds? We\ndon\u2019t see them much this time of year as they either migrate south or\n\u201chuddle-in\u201d for the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Signs\nof life in the winter outdoors can be few and far between. Yet, we know that the cycle of the seasons\nwill continue. Spring will come and the\ngrass will grow, the leaves will come out, the gardens will grow, and the\nanimals will come out. This is the\nnatural cycle of life in creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So\nit is with death. Jesus died on the\nCross. In worldly terms, his life was\nover and his body was laid in the tomb. \nIf this was the end, it would be a terrible ending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nwe know it is not the end. Jesus rose on\nEaster morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nFall comes followed by Winter, so much of creation seems to die but it is not\nreally dead but merely asleep. In the\nsame way, we know that Jesus\u2019 life did not end at his Crucifixion. Yes, his body was laid in the tomb but only\nfor three days until He was raised up in the Resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As\nwe sit inside on this winter night, we know spring will come. In the same way we know in faith that the\ndead will rise and so we have hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now,\nthink of the Jews who were taken in exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life and\nthey had been ripped from it. For them,\ntheir existence, their life, as they knew it was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\nwere false<\/em><\/strong>\nprophets trying to appease the exiles by telling them God would rescue them\nfrom exile very soon. I stress \u201cfalse\u201d\nprophets because we can see in our reading from Jeremiah who was a true prophet\nthat was not God\u2019s plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s\nplan was for the Exile to last seventy years. \nThrough Jeremiah, the Lord told them, \u201cBuild houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruits. Take wives,\u2026.Increase there,\u2026. Seek the\nwelfare of the city\u2026for upon its welfare your own depends<\/em>.\u201d The Lord is telling them that they will be\nthere for a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nwasn\u2019t \u201chome.\u201d It wasn\u2019t the way life\nshould be but it is God\u2019s plan. They are\nto make the best of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now,\nthink of our society today. We have not\nbeen taken away in physical exile but perhaps we can parallel the decline of\nfaith in God in our society today with being in spiritual exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nexile, the Jews would not have been able to worship in the Temple. In a foreign land, they would have been\nexpected to worship the false gods of the local king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many\nin our society expect us to worship false gods of money, power, and\nprestige. These are the gods for those\nput these first in their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps\nthe most distorted \u201cfalse god\u201d today is \u201cfreedom.\u201d To them freedom means we can do whatever we\nwant. They talk in terms of a woman\u2019s\nright to choose to have an abortion but ignore the \u201cfreedom\u201d due to the child\nin the womb. They promote sexual freedom\nto live whatever sexual identity and behavior one chooses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet,\nthey restrict the free expression of our Christian values. We aren\u2019t supposed to speak out for what we\nbelieve. Here lies the exile to which I\nrefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes,\nwe are free to choose. However, we make\nthe best use of our freedom when we choose to follow God\u2019s values in the faith\nHe has given us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So,\nwe withdrawn and might choose to hide our faith, living in spiritual\nexile. Picture the empty trees, the\nempty gardens, and the lack of seeing outdoor wildlife. We look at society today and it is hard to\nsee God. We might even feel\nabandoned. Remember winter does not last\nforever and neither will the spiritual exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nnow, we hold onto our faith. We live in\nthis world to the best of our ability but we remember what Paul wrote to the\nPhilippians, \u201cBut our citizenship is in\nheaven.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Homily for February 2019 Holy HourJeremiah 29:1-15Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)Philippians 3:17-21Luke 23:44-53 If you look at the front of tonight\u2019s program, the theme is \u201cA Winter\u2019s Rest.\u201d\u00a0 I picked this time almost two weeks ago on a cold winter day with snow on the ground.\u00a0 So, a theme involving winter seemed appropriate.\u00a0 However, …<\/p>\n