The T.A.C. Times
M A Y 2012
Easter Homily
Preached by the Most Reverend Robert Duncan at the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Vigil, in St. Peter’s Church in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on Easter Eve, 7th April, A.D.2012.
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the
stone for us from the door of the tomb? [Mark 16:3]
In the Name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, One God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Blessed and Praised forever: Amen.
In all four gospels it is women who come first to the tomb. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us the purpose: to anoint Jesus’ body. Burial on Friday had been hurried. At least the soldiers had not broken his legs to speed death. He was already dead. The Sabbath was at hand. In the moment, Joseph of Arimathea was moved to give his own freshly hewn tomb, which was, St. John tells us, very near to the Place of the Skull. Nicodemus, John tells us, had given spices, but Jesus’ own inner circle had not been able to care for his body in the customary way. There had been so much hurry. They had loved him so much. Nevertheless, they could still do what was right, what at the very least they owed him, when the Sabbath ended.
They surely recognized their problem. They surely knew that the immense wheel-like stone had been rolled over the entrance to the tomb. St. Mark tells us that they had actually seen this happen. Maybe they had also heard about Pilate’s order that the tomb be sealed and a guard set to keep things that way. It is St. Matthew that records for us this detail.
So the women meet very early on Sunday, sometime after sundown on Saturday. They must do what is right to do and what could not be done on Friday. They can now pre-pare the spices and the ointments. It is still dark. They will arrive near first light.
Everything is, of course, very confused and confusing. Their grief is overwhelming. Have they forgotten about the stone? Do they not think about the stone until they are actually on their way? Do each think about it earlier, but not discuss it? We cannot know. All we can know is that on their way to the tomb they are saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”
Followers of Jesus often face what seems to them insurmountable problems¼challenges for which there seem to be no apparent solutions. They will nevertheless do what is right, what they can do, even if there is a part of the puzzle they do not have or cannot conceive. Trust in their God drives them on. With God, there has always been a way through in the past, so why not trust Him now?
A terribly injured child? An impossible situation at work? A marriage in tatters? Some debilitating illness or handicap? An unjust accusation? An adolescent in rebellion? A friendship betrayed? Wars and rumors of wars? Domestic or civil violence? Whatever the present impossibility¼ We Christians will trust him with this, too.
We can wonder what the women spoke of as they went in the darkness toward the tomb of Jesus. Was there more than “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” Might they have remembered the Passover story of long ago, the very feast being celebrated in these same days? All the first-born of Israel had been spared. Might they next have recalled the victory at the Red Sea, when all God’s people were saved and all of Pharaoh’s army drowned? Might they have remembered Jericho, where the walls miraculously tumbled down? Could they have encouraged one another with the stories of Ruth or Esther, or Daniel or the Three Young Men? Might they have spoken of Judas Maccabeus or the miracle of Chanukah? Could they have rehearsed some of the miracles they had seen at the hands of their crucified rabbi? The healings, the feed-ings, the castings out, the raisings from the dead? Might they have even dared to wonder about his teaching concerning what would follow his own death? We cannot say what broke the silence of their preparation of the spices and ointments, or the silence of their walk to the tomb. We are sure of their grief—for that is why they were meeting— and we are sure of the one question: “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?”
In all of our speculation about the run-up to the arrival of the women at the tomb, it is very hard to imagine that the women could have imagined in advance what actually con-fronted them on arrival. God is so much bigger than our thoughts or imaginings. Even the rehearsal of earlier mighty deeds does not prepare us for the immensity of what he can do in the present moment, in the face of our seemingly insurmountable challenges. Yes, he often appoints brother and sisters, or sometimes even strangers, to help us—to help us in quite ordinary, quite natural ways. But sometimes there is the supernatural, and the great stories seem to be filled with this. Indeed, at their arrival, they would soon have the greatest story of all time to tell. God would act. God powerfully. God unmistakably. God alone. Without man’s help.
God addresses our human challenges both naturally and supernaturally. He is God after all. Our chief attitude needs to be to trust him, no matter what we face. His operation, whether natural or supernatural, is his choice, his provision by whatever means. He is Creator, sustainer and end of everything, so why do we doubt?
But tonight’s work—this dawn of the day work—is God’s alone. “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” God will. God does. There is earthquake. There is an angel, dazzling light. The guards fall away. The stone is rolled back.
But there is more, much more. The tomb is empty. “He has been raised, as he said.” They are invited to see the place where the body had lain. They are given a message. (Forget the spices and the ointments.) “Go tell his disciples.” It hadn’t been about the stone after all¼or about a dead body. The crucifixion wasn’t the last word. Not at all. They had mis-read what God was up to. Yes, they were being faithful, but their plan— their challenge—was much too small. Fear—a different kind of fear—and great joy are now theirs. They hadn’t run from their problem, from their grief, but had headed straight into it. Now everything was changed. So now they run with a different purpose. They are bearers of the greatest good news of all time. And suddenly he himself meets them: “Greetings!” They fall and worship, and so do we. And his last words to them are “Go and tell.” We, too, now fall and worship. Our next step is to go and tell.
There is now, with Jesus, no challenge we cannot face, not even death. For now the last challenge has been swallowed up in victory, and—for those who put their faith in him— no stones that cannot be rolled away. There is nothing now that can separate us from the Father’s love or Jesus’ resurrection or the Spirit’s power. Rejoice this Easter Day! Rejoice like never before! Rejoice for the stone on the tomb proved no problem to our God.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia.
Transformation Anglican Joins in The National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer is a day that transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds. Mrs. Shirley Dobson, NDP chairman, reminds us: We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep. I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too.
Historical Summary
1775 The first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer
1863 Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.
1952 Congress established NDP as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Truman (82324)
1988 The law was amended and signed by President Reagan, designating the NDP as the first Thursday in May (100307).
Notable Fact
34 of our 44 presidents have signed documentation calling for a national day of prayer. Note that 3 of the 10 that did not call for a national day of prayer died in office.
National Day of Prayer in Rockwall, Rockwall City Hall385 S. Goliad Street Rockwall, Texas 75087, Thursday May 3rd Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Glenna and I invite all of you to join us on Thursday May 3rd for the National Prayer Event this year. I will be leading one of the prayers. Come meet the people of Rockwall as we reach out to this city with the saving love of Jesus Christ.
DOWN AT THE FARM
Transformation Anglican Church
Memorial Day Picnic
May 28
4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Hal and June Hines’ Place
335 Town East Blvd.
COME CHOW DOWN
BAR-B-Q with all the trimmins’
Homemade cookies
Horseshoe Tournament
Horse rides for the Kids
Treasure Hunt for big kids (13-20)
Frisbee Golf
Zip Line
Fishing
Farm Fresh Egg Toss
Bring your own lawn chairs
Reply: 972-203-1759
OSL Corner
by Sharon Parker
Ephesians 6:15 “and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” NIV
The third article of God’s armor is the shoes of peace. Whereas the description of the messenger’s feet in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings ¼” reflects the custom of running barefooted. And who wants to go out to do battle while barefooted? Here the message of the gospel is picturesquely connected with the protective and supportive footgear of the Roman soldier. The shoes of peace become protection against the divisive schemes of the devil when you act as a peacemaker among believers as seen in Romans 14:19, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification.” Anyone can divide a fellowship, but it takes the grace of God to unite us in Him.
Too many Christians insist on common doctrine as the basis for fellowship. They reason that if we don’t think the same and believe the same, there is no basis for peace. But common doctrine isn’t the basis for fellowship; common heritage is. We are all children of God. If you wait to fellowship with someone until you agree perfectly on every point of doctrine, you will be the loneliest Christian on earth. Instead of insisting on the unity of the mind, preserve the unity of the Spirit by taking the initiative to be the peacemaker in your relationships. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” [Romans 4:3]
In the garden before he was arrested, Jesus prayed to his Father for us: “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know You sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.” [John 17:23] We have the promise that “the God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet.” [Romans 16:20] Ask God, today, to use you to bring unity to your relationships by making you a peace-maker.
The Saturday, May 19th Order of St. Luke Brunch will be held in the HCA cafeteria beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please join us for fellowship and a teaching from the MacNutts’ DVD Series II entitled “Healing of Sexual Abuse”. If you are not a member of OSL, please feel free to join us anyway. These teachings can be of help to all, and we would really welcome your attendance.
The Order of St. Luke the Physician is an inter-denominational, international ministry for healing body, mind and spirit.
Austin Street Centre Ministry
We will be going back to Austin Street Centre on Wednesday, May 30th to take food to feed the clients of that facility. Your help is needed in order for us to be able to feed these 350-400 people. As usual we will provide sandwiches, boiled eggs, chips, pickles, fruit, milk and the cupcakes that are very appreciated. Can you imagine being on the streets and not even knowing that people care about you or even know you are alive? This is one way that we can show our love for the homeless of our area. Isn’t that what Jesus told us to do, to feed the poor? As usual, we will meet at the home of Susan and Larry Maupin, 8930 Covey Court, Dallas, to make the sandwiches and bag the eggs. We start this about 4:00 p.m. and many of you come to help. Those who are able, then travel to The Centre on Hickory Street to start serving. Won’t you join us in May? I can guarantee you a fulfilling evening as you will be blessed.
Since last year a lot of changes have taken place at Austin Street. The Revs. Bubba and Harry Daily are no longer there as they have retired from the positions of executive director and co-director after twenty-five+ years of service. But, that does not mean that the people don’t still need our help; after all, we are there to serve the Lord as well as the homeless. Keith Price is the new executive director and would ask your prayers for him as he learns the ropes and the clients make adjustments to someone new. Keith spent three years with the Stew Pot before being asked to come over to Austin Street.
If you would like more information about the ASC ministry of Transformation Anglican Church, please contact Sharon Parker, Susan Maupin or Sue Griffin.