Sermon Tone Analysis

Title

Living Truth in the Last Hour

Outline

It is the last hour; and . . .

now may antichrists have appeared

There have been other such last hours, but this is a significant one

While some have gone out from us and perhaps joined the Old Catholics if they were in the German world, others have stayed with us, such as the Franciscan priest I saw a tweet from who claimed theology is simply metaphorical and therefore words for God are metaphors, metaphors created by the hegemonic groups that control our society.

Welcome to Mother God rather than Mary Mother of God.

“But [says John, contrary to that Franciscan priest and others like him] you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you all have knowledge.

I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.”

We know that the Word was from the beginning and is true

We know: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” as John wrote.

Words about God are metaphors or perhaps better, analogies, but the are true to the extent that they capture within the space-time universe the reality that is God whom we call Father, who is the source of the being of the universe.

Notice that the Word was already in the beginning, the beginning of the creation, of our history.

This is an imperfect in Greek, a continuous being.

He was (and is) as God was (and is).

But notice also that “the Word was with God,” which is a relational expression “pros ton theon.”

We could say that he was face to face with God or in relationship with God.

The Word, who is God, is not impersonal, a force, but in a relationship with God, whom he calls Father and who calls him Son.

In other words, he is “the only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side.”

This is the light that has become concrete

He shown into the world, our world of darkness and lies, but the darkness did not get it.

He came to his own in prophets such as John, but most did not receive him, for they saw a prophet and did not grasp the Word speaking through the prophet.

Then he became flesh, one of us and as Word-become-flesh he became what he was not, one of us.

He had been ground of our being, creator of us and our universe, but now he was one of us.

As such we could now see the Father, for we saw “the glory as of the Father’s only Son.”

The metaphor, the analogy now had flesh and we experienced the deeper reality within our created, contingent reality.

We experienced God’s covenant faithfulness Moses talked about in Jesus Christ.

Indeed, it is “grace upon grace,” for Jesus Christ was “grace and truth” (hesed we emeth) in person.

Sisters, we do use words that cannot capture God

But we use words given by God in both scripture and tradition

Most importantly we have the Word before us in Jesus Christ in both scripture and personal relationship, in our love relationship with him.

We do not literally see God, but we know God as Adam knew Eve, because we experience God personally.

That is deeper than words, but not contrary to words.

And that is why from the Prologue onward he is called Jesus or the Son, not the Word, for we are beyond analogous language and are into personal relationship, for he has come to us as a person.

Readings

FIRST READING

1 John 2:18–21

18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared.

Thus we know this is the last hour.

19 They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us.

Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.

20 But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you all have knowledge.

21 I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.

RESPONSE

Psalm 96:11a

11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;

PSALM

Psalm 96:1–2, 11–13

1 Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;

12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice

13 before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with faithfulness.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

John 1:14a, 12a

14 And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father’s only Son,

full of grace and truth.

12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,

GOSPEL

John 1:1–18

CHAPTER 1

1 In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came to be through him,

and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be 4 through him was life,

and this life was the light of the human race;

5 the light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world,

and the world came to be through him,

but the world did not know him.

11 He came to what was his own,

but his own people did not accept him.

12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13  who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father’s only Son,

full of grace and truth.

15 John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’

” 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, 17 because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has ever seen God.