Baptism and Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Holy Martyr, First Among Women, and Equal to the Apostles, Thecla

Title

The Presence of God Separates

Outline

The presence of God separates

It is not because God hates the world or we should hate the world around us, but because God is other, holy, and unless we are rooted in him we cannot reach out to others who are passing.

That is the point of the Baptism Gospel: the disciples, as they go into the world, are to make disciples of Jesus, not become disciples of the world. They are to baptize them, putting to death their old life, breaking the bonds of sin, and raising them to be live with Christ, free from the bondage of death. And they are to teach them to “observe all things that I commanded you,” not what the world commands.

This is the story that happens on the Lake of Genessaret: after using an idle fishing boat to give his talk, Jesus takes them into the deep, where, by the miraculous fish catch, they realize that they are face to face with God. Peter realizes his unworthiness, which expresses this sense of the numinous. Then upon reaching shore there is nothing else to do but to abandon fishing and homes and follow Jesus so as to hang onto what they had found. They needed to know what he was going to command.

Likewise in 2 Corinthians six the “I will live in them and move among them and be their God” is followed by “therefore come out from them (the other peoples) and be separate from them.”

What is the point here, brothers and sisters?

It is that if we remain in death or slip back into death we cannot raise the dead. It is Christ the author of life who indeed died for us, but who was also raised for us to bring us to life. Only if we are living for him (and eventually with him) can we help those who are dead.

So our professions are penultimate, to be dropped if remaining would prevent us from following Jesus.

There are definitely areas of life where we must be separate in order to be of evangelistic use those we are separate from: who wants help from a man or woman who is sinking in the mud.

So as part of this service we have set ___________________ on the basis for her future life, but only if we follow through and lead her deeper into Jesus as she is able.

She is now the “servant of God” as we are servants of God and we therefore call her increasingly to the lifestyle, values and virtues of a servant of God, and a relationship to Jesus that she will grow into as she grows into her relationship with her mother.

We have no lesser goal than that she and we as disciples of Jesus are calling others to faith and baptism and then teaching them to enter into a lifestyle of relationship with the living God-Man, Jesus Christ.

Readings

The Epistle for Baptism

Brothers and sisters, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our former man was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-20-2024: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

2 Corinthians 6:16–7:1

16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will live in them and move among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

17 Therefore come out from them,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch nothing unclean;

then I will welcome you,

18 and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Chapter 7

1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Gospel for Baptism

At that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-8-2023: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Luke 5:1–11

1 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-20-2024: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

SUN, OCT 20, 2024 (OCT 7, 2024) | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-20-2024: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Matins Gospel Luke 24:36–53

Epistle 2 Corinthians 6:16–7:1

Byzantine Lectionary (Julian) 10-8-2023: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gospel Luke 5:1–11