That You May Be Filled
THE TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
As I have often stated from this pulpit, this long season of Trinity-Tide is all about progress. Not in the modern 'self-actualization' sense, but spiritual progress, transformation, and betterment gained through supernatural means; not eliminating the need for self-involvement but cooperating with the supernatural: the Holy Spirit. St. Paul describes this synergy as working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Christian spirituality flies in the face of this secular age of atomization and endless division because Christian faith, thought, and practice in the Anglican Tradition is cohesive and unified; holding the natural and spiritual together; God working in man and man willing after God. Think of the great mystery of Christ in us and we in him… which is the great mystery of salvation, of sanctification, and ultimately our glorification. You see, Christian spirituality (classical spirituality) holds the visible and invisible together, unifying our very understanding of self, of others, of God and his creation.
Every person wants to flourish in this life, finding fulfillment in every aspect of existence. But what man envisions as flourishing and fulfillment fall woefully short, its earthbound aim directed towards realizing the best possible life and version of 'me' here on earth.
But God's economy and providence are far greater and wonderful than what man imagines for himself. Christian spirituality sets its sights beyond this earth, moving towards a something and a Someone, taking us far beyond a purely horizontal and materialistic vision of life. God the Father intends not only to redeem but remake; to transfigure and transform the imperfect into the perfect and conform us into His Son's image.
Perfection! This is true human flourishing: to be perfected in Christ. Our souls finally wholly clean, raised a spiritual body, and numbered among the Saints of Light. Forever engrossed in the eternal and euphoric worship of Christ. If this is the goal of salvation (and it is), then daily spiritual life is entirely about progressing in holiness. This is the great enterprise of the Christian life and the purpose of all spiritual exercise, piety, and disciplines: striving towards perfection.
St. John, in the third chapter of his first epistle, puts it this way, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
But, progress towards holiness is challenging to say the least. Some days we feel like Sisyphus, the king of Ephyra who toils and struggles to push an immense boulder up a hill only to have it roll away and disappear when he finally gets it to the top. The spiritual life is an elusive struggle, often appearing to be a work of utter futility because though we the baptized are in Christ, we are imperfect and O' so susceptible to the enticements of the world, the desires of the flesh, and schemes of the devil.
The Collect appointed for this Sunday judges us correctly, we are frail, and in our frailty, we sin. Our sins corrupt that blessed, hopeful vision of a future day united with Christ; we become spiritually nearsighted, incapable of seeing beyond this present world. The corrective is to put sins to death and strive for godliness, that we might restore our spiritual sight. Hope desires purity, and purity is the unobstructed path to Christ. St. John writes every man that has this hope (of future perfection) purifies himself, even as Christ is pure.
Sanctification doesn't set its sights on becoming good moral people (it is in part, but it's more). Sanctification sets its sights on attaining Jesus Christ. We strive for holiness because we deeply desire to be with him and in him. Is this not the deepest desire of your heart to see God? To behold his face and look into his eyes, lost in the endless depths of love, mercy, compassion, and grace. To hear his voice. With him in that blessed place that he has gone to prepare for us.
Christ is our reward, the pearl of great price, the greatest and highest good; he is the tree of life, whose fruit strengthens and heals the nations forever and ever, alleluia. It is he whom we praise in the morning, and He is the absolution and forgiveness awaiting us at the end of each day; the One who hears our imperfect prayers and meets our humility and repentance with absolving mercy and forgiveness.
We want to see God… and so we take our baptismal vows seriously: manfully fighting for the cause of Christ, lovingly obeying his commands, faithfully serving his bride the church, joyfully proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom while renouncing the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh. Why? Because we want to be with Christ! If He is not the desire of faith and the aim of all spirituality, then we are busying ourselves with empty and vain religion.
Today on this twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, we most likely find ourselves in one of two possible stages: progressing in the spiritual life or regressing. There is no such thing as stagnation, and a disciple is either moving closer to Christ or away from him. This is the difference. But what is common to both is that neither state has completely attained perfection; there still remains a great need to be filled and completed. For regardless of whether we are presently advancing or presently retreating, we all desire to attain that future hope of being made perfect.
St. Paul desired the same for the beloved Christians in Colossae, which is why he fervently prayed for them to press on to attain more and more of Christ. For it's not as if the Colossians were devoid of the things of Christ; rather, they were deficient with a far greater capacity for more! He writes,
we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.
He has heard nothing but good reports of the Colossians. They are evidencing the great marks of spiritual progress in the three necessary relations of the Christian life, which have to do with God, man, and ourselves.
Concerning God, St. Paul says they possessed faith in Christ Jesus, concerning one another, they displayed a love toward all the Saints, while concerning themselves, they were conscious of the hope laid up for them in the heavens. So St. Paul prays and offers thanks to God for the spiritual progress they have already made.
But his prayer doesn't end with thanksgiving for what God has already done in the life of this church.
St. Paul knows that their past progress will serve as the foundation for even greater progress in the future, and what he has heard of their spiritual progress only stirs him to more earnest prayer on their behalf; for he knows they must push on because there is always more of Christ to attain! And so he prays for them to experience greater spiritual progress, listen to his prayer:
We do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
He wants them to be filled, fruitful, and increasing in Christ. And we must pray for and desire to be filled with all the fullness of the riches of Christ because absolute perfection, though never fully attainable in this life, should always be the goal and aim of the Christian life. And so, St. Paul is praying for us to expend our spiritual efforts in these three directions.
First, he wants us to attain the fullness of knowledge, not merely information about Christ but deep and true knowledge with a view to obedience, knowing God's will, translating this wisdom into our conduct and actions so that we live for Christ and as Christ.
Second, the Apostle wants us to strive for a holy life worthy of our Lord, worthy of the motives of His love, and emulating his perfect example: such holiness as both pleasing to God and producing every sort of good fruit. And third, he wants us to be strengthened in God so that we can cheerfully do our Christian duty and endure with patience trials of this Christian life.
Friends, if we think we have already arrived, so to speak, we haven't. We dare not limit the possibility and necessity of obtaining more knowledge, more holiness, and strength, all of which are open to us and which it is our duty to secure. But remember, we are not on some materialistic, secularized self-help pursuit, and neither is this the dead exercises of legalism. No. We secure the fullness of Christ by progressing towards holiness while under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, for He is with you and working in you.
In receiving the Spirit, we have been made fit partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. And let me re-emphasize, it is Christ, and him alone, who has made us partakers of a heavenly inheritance. Were we not at one time as dead as the Synagogue ruler's daughter? And yet, because of the great love of God towards us, Jesus took us by the hand and raised us from the deep sleep of death. For Jesus Christ is the Lord over death!
Isn't this the Good News proclaimed today in Matthew's Gospel? Jesus is the greater Elijah! He simply takes the ruler's daughter by the hand and raises her from the sleep of death with a gentle touch. Because Jesus is healing; He is the very embodiment of life; the One with the power to bring what is dead to life again. And having brought us back from being dead in our sins and trespasses, will he not heal our infirmities in body and soul? In particular, will he not forgive us when we stumble in the spiritual life? Will true repentance not meet Divine mercy? Will faith not collide with the compassion of Jesus Christ?
Look! Look how tenderly he cares for that poor woman who for twelve years suffered from an incurable hemorrhage. By faith, she risks public ridicule and further ostracization by pushing through the crowd in the hope of merely touching Jesus' garment. She pushes on to attain Christ because she believes he can heal her in every possible way. And yes, Jesus has the power to heal, but healing is received by faith. For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
And let us not miss the word Matthew uses for 'whole' (sozo), which is the same word for to 'save,' to 'rescue.' Because he doesn't want us to miss the greater point: that her miraculous healing went well beyond physical healing, it is a picture of salvation both of body and soul: he made her whole again. And when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
For twelve years, she lived without hope, and I imagine she sought every remedy and exhausted every man-made cure. Twelve years of sorrow, confusion, and ultimately resignation. Perhaps resignation is where you find yourself today. Perhaps you feel defeated in the spiritual life, drowning in an overwhelming sense of failure and finality.
Tragically, we often compound this by 'going it alone' and intensifying the work of self-reparation, doubling down on pulling up the old bootstraps to get ourselves right with God and others. In other words, instead of turning to Christ who alone absolves and makes pure; Jesus... the only one who can lose the bands of sin and heal... instead of turning to him, we make the inward turn into isolation and sorrow.
But beloved, St. Paul reminds us to press into Christ by faith, praying unceasingly to be filled with the knowledge and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ. And St. Matthew reminds us that when we need healing, to simply reach out to Christ by faith, for in him is true healing and eternal life.
Let us pray, O LORD, we beseech thee, absolve thy people from their offenses; that through thy bountiful goodness we may all be delivered from the bands of those sins, which by our frailty we have committed. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.
