My Brothers and Sisters,
We are all called to come forward and
follow Jesus Christ. This call is continuous from the moment of our conception
and continues throughout our lives. When we respond to this call there will be
moments of elation and joy; the love of God will fill us as we see what our
lives can be when we live it with Jesus Christ. But, there will also be times
when we start to reflect on our sinfulness and past actions. This might lead to
feelings of regret when we compare the person that we were without Jesus Christ
to the person that we can be with his influence and guidance. It must be
understood that we are all sinners and undeserving of salvation. Salvation is
not earned, it is given freely by Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ. We
must pray earnestly to have Jesus takes these feelings of brokenness from us
and replace them with his love for us.
When Isaiah was called by God to the
prophetic office and received a vision of the Lord, he was overcome with a
feeling of unworthiness. He was then cleansed through the mercy and love of
God. When we recognize God and accept His love the same transformation happens
to us. This transformation is continuous. We are slowly being molded and shaped
by the one who loves us unconditionally. This will initiate a struggle within
us but one that we will ultimately win as long as we keep our focus on building
our relationship with God. In the Gospel Reading today, when Peter, James, and
John were called forth by Jesus, there was a realization that they were sinful
men. Peter fell to his knees begging Jesus to depart from his presence. Jesus
accepted him as he was at that moment: a sinner. Jesus also accepts us in the
same way. We are not yet a complete work of perfection and will not be until we
are with God in eternity.
As Christians, we cannot espouse the
things we are doing right but must continuously focus on what we are doing
wrong. Proclaiming our successes leads to pride which will then become a
gateway for a multitude of sins. We need to turn everything over to God and let
Him do the work that only the presence of His love can do. It is only through
the presence of His love that we can the persons that we want to be. We must surrender
to His will and let Him guide us through the journey to salvation. The Apostle
Paul always addressed himself first as a sinner. He even referred to himself as
the least among the Apostles. He was serving as an example for all of us to
follow. It is through humility and acknowledgement of being sinners that we
achieve greatness.
Celebrating God’s Love helps us to come
forth united. One person is not called. We are all called so we are encouraged
to answer together. Being united opens the floodgates of God’s Love and enables
us to share it freely for the benefit of everyone. No one should be excluded
from this. All should be welcome. We are all co-workers in the vineyard
building each other up and welcoming each others as sinners undeserving of
God’s Love. Undeserving we are but nonetheless we are invited receive
everything as God’s Children.
Deacon Tom
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