FIfth Sunday after Pentecost

Title

Salvation by Commitment

Outline

“What must I do to be saved?” is a recurring theme of Christian spiritual literature

Salvation is, of course, not just rescue in the last judgment or rescue in the afterlife, a life free from this life’s burdens

Salvation is a family relationship with God now, a progressive freedom from the death-dealing influences in this world, and physical and spiritual transformation after this life

That fullness of salvation is what Paul wished for his Jewish brothers and sisters, even as they often persecuted him

Rather than seeing that salvation had been given them in the covenant and the rules of Torah guided them in living it out, pointing towards the Messiah, they often thought that more care in keeping the rules gave them their belonging

Paul says that Jesus had fulfilled the hopes of the Jewish people by as the resurrected Lord freely offering salvation or righteousness to all who pledge their allegiance to him: “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); 9  because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.”

That is what we see lived out in Jesus’ encounter with the Gadarene demoniacs

They were tormented and suffering from demonic torture, but, seeing Jesus, rushed towards him

The demons were not happy with this action, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” - are you bringing the last judgment?

No, Jesus was bringing salvation - release and relationship

The demons, knowing Jesus could drive them out, offer to give up without damaging the men, so they could remain embodied: “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.”

Perhaps giving grace to both the men and the demons, Jesus allows this

But the demons, perhaps not realizing their destructive nature, stampede the herd into the lake and lose embodied existence - game over

There are two responses

The people of the town who can only see material loss, rather than asking Jesus for salvation in other situations they were in, reject his grace and ask him to leave

The men who had been demonized (in other gospels) ask to join Jesus’ followers, but Jesus instead makes them preachers of the gospel to their own people

So, brothers and sisters, Jesus has given you his favor and offered you all three tenses of salvation if you will give your allegiance to him

[Now many of us had our allegiance given for us by our parents in our baptism, as we will see here on July 11, so it is more a continual making of that allegiance our own in deeper and deeper ways]

In many ways that was what we talked about on the Journey Home this past Wednesday - airing Sep 27.

We are constantly faced with a choice: we can reject Jesus’ favor totally and do our own independent thing; we can tell Jesus we would rather do it ourselves and try to save ourselves; or we can day by day live out our relationship to Jesus by renewing our pledge of allegiance and following his directions that he empowers us to fulfill into the fullness of salvation in all three tenses.

How great is the salvation he has given us

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-25-2021: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

Romans 10:1–10

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to

God for them is that they may be saved. 2  I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3  For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4  For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.

5  Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. 6  But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8  But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); 9  because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-25-2021: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Matthew 8:28–9:1

28  And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29  And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

9  And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-25-2021: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021 | OCTOECHOS

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Bright Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:13–35

Epistle Romans 10:1–10

Gospel Matthew 8:28–9:1

GREEN